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

He held the bank draft, looked up at Li Mao, and said with a half-smile, "Two thousand silver dollars for your trouble, Brother Shiyi, you've certainly gotten a good share!"

Upon hearing this, and recalling the executed scoundrels, Li Mao was so frightened he almost knelt before Gu Cheng on the spot: "Master Gu! I admit I'm greedy, but in these times, without money or power, even my wife and children look down on you—"

Gu Cheng stared at him, a hint of sarcasm in his smile: "What, you, the quartermaster, are you short of money to support a wife and kids?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mao almost burst into tears, his voice trembling with sobs: "Don't laugh at me, Master Gu, but I've followed Tang Yulin for eight years. He eats meat, while I barely get a few sips of soup."

The position of quartermaster sounds prestigious... but in reality, it includes me and two clerks, and there's absolutely no money to be made!

The embezzlement of rations and wages, and the falsification of losses, were all tolerated by those above and below. I turned a blind eye, at most earning a reputation for being "sensible," but I didn't receive a single penny in real money. I was forced into this situation!

Gu Cheng pressed on unhurriedly, "So, besides you, those two clerks also accepted money from Lu Shoulian?"

Li Mao stammered, "Well... they weren't directly involved; they just inflated the prices a bit when they were doing the accounting. As for the two thousand yuan Lu Shoulian gave us, I plan to give each of them two hundred yuan afterward as hush money."

Gu Cheng looked at him and snorted again: "You're really generous."

Li Mao quickly explained, "Master Gu, I was just afraid they would spread rumors and ruin your important plans..."

"Bad news?" Gu Cheng stood up. "You made the accounts yourselves, you signed the papers yourselves, and now there's been an accident at the main camp construction site. The timber cracks at the slightest touch, the cement crumbles at the slightest squeeze. Do you think you can absolve yourself of all responsibility by shifting the blame onto Lu Shoulian?"

Li Mao's face turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

Gu Cheng stood up, walked up to him, and looked down at him: "Li Mao, listen carefully. I've heard what you said—"

Lu Shoulian is the president of the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce. He has been operating in Jinzhou for many years and has deep roots in the city. He has connections with various forces, so I can't rashly take action against him now. But the fire at the construction site has been extinguished; the accounts haven't been settled yet.

Upon hearing the words "settling accounts," Li Mao broke out in a cold sweat: "Master Gu, you—"

Gu Cheng raised his hand and gestured for him to be quiet: "Whether it's me, Mr. Liu Chen, or even Lord Min... if you want to deal with Lu Shoulian, you need solid evidence."

At this point, he took a few steps closer to Li Mao, "Is there any written record of your dealings with Lu Shoulian? Can you get the invoices for that batch of timber and cement shipped from Dalian Port? Also, how exactly did Lu Shoulian get in touch with the Japanese?"

Li Mao, sweating profusely from the barrage of questions, nodded repeatedly: "This subordinate...this subordinate can think of a way! I can still get around Lu Shoulian, so he won't suspect me for the time being. It's just..."

He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously looked up at Gu Cheng. "But Master Gu, if I were to investigate these matters and they discovered it, my life would be in grave danger..."

"Don't worry," Gu Cheng interrupted him, his gaze calm. "As long as you do your job honestly, I won't let anything happen to you. If you succeed, you can atone for your mistakes, and I'll guarantee the safety of your entire family. If you botch it—"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Mao trembled: "This subordinate understands! This subordinate will certainly handle the matter well!"

Gu Cheng waved his hand: "Alright, go back and do what you're supposed to do. Remember, keep in touch with Lu Shoulian, but don't arouse his suspicion. Tell me in advance what he's going to do next. Also, keep a close eye on your two clerks, don't let them gossip."

"Yes, yes, yes! This subordinate will certainly comply!" Li Mao bowed repeatedly and practically fled the reception room.

Gu Cheng watched his hurried departure, then picked up his teacup and slowly finished drinking.

Only then did Yang Song cautiously approach: "Mr. Gu, do you really believe him?"

Gu Cheng didn't rush to answer, but quietly walked to the door and looked out through the carved wooden window:

At this moment, the butler Zhou Ran was respectfully seeing Li Mao off at the door when he slowly said, "Whether you believe it or not is not important. What's important is that he has no other choice but to work for me now. A person with no way out is more useful than one with a way out."

Yang Song didn't quite understand, but he nodded thoughtfully nonetheless.

"Let's go back to the study and continue checking the accounts. Don't let that little abacus wear himself out—he's the only one in the entire Mixed Brigade who's good at this."

As Gu Cheng spoke, he lifted the curtain and went out, but in his heart he was already making plans—he needed to train a few more decent clerks to assist Gao Tianqi in his work.

…………

Lu Residence, east of Jinzhou City.

It was late at night, and only an oil lamp was lit in the study. The flame was blown about by the wind that was seeping in through the cracks in the window, casting long and short shadows on the wall.

Lu Shoulian sat in the armchair, holding a string of sandalwood prayer beads in his hand, spinning them so fast that his knuckles turned white.

A pot of fine Longjing tea sat on the table, long since cooled, yet untouched.

He is waiting.

No, to be precise, he was waiting for someone he both feared and couldn't live without.

There was a series of light and heavy knocks on the door, a pre-arranged signal between him and the steward.

Lu Shoulian suddenly stood up, walked quickly to the door, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

A slender figure slipped inside, moving as nimbly as a cat, without even a sound from the door hinges.

The newcomer was dressed in dark riding attire, with her long hair pulled back, revealing a fair and delicate face—gentle and graceful, at first glance she looked like a young lady from a wealthy family.

But the cold light emanating from those eyes sent chills down one's spine.

It was Haruka Hiromi.

Gu Cheng searched Jinzhou and the surrounding areas thoroughly, but still couldn't find the person.

"Mr. Lu, it's been a long time." She took off her felt hat, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her Chinese was so fluent it was hard to believe she was Japanese. "What, won't you invite me to sit down and have a cup of tea?"

Lu Shoulian forced a smile, stepped aside to let her in, and then peeked out the door twice to make sure no one was following him before carefully closing the door and bolting it.

"Miss Haruue, you've finally arrived!" He rubbed his hands together, his voice extremely low, yet unable to conceal his panic. "Do you know what terrible thing has happened!"

Haruka Yumi calmly sat down in the chair, picked up the glass of cold tea on the table, took a sip, and frowned slightly: "This tea is cold."

"What time is it and you still care about the tea getting cold!" Lu Shoulian stamped his foot in frustration, plopped down opposite her, leaned forward, and lowered his voice even further, "That Gu Cheng has already started auditing the accounts! It's said that Wang Yongjiang personally handed him the account books! We're finished, completely finished!"