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

Gu Cheng sat down opposite him, considered for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Min Gong, to be honest, I suspect that the Japanese killed him to cover it up this time."

He took a deep breath and began to recount the information Li Mao had provided to Wang Yongjiang, especially the batch of inferior timber and cement, which were transported from Dalian Port... and Lu Shoulian, who happened to be the middleman and handled this batch of goods, etc. He made everything clear.

As Gu Cheng finished speaking, he glanced at Mo Dehui, seemingly unintentionally.

Mo Dehui was holding a teacup, seemingly deep in thought—or rather, weighing his options.

Wang Yongjiang leaned back in his chair, initially listening attentively, but due to his physical discomfort, he frequently drifted off into thought and had to repeatedly ask Gu Cheng questions.

Gu Cheng added details until Wang Yongjiang understood the whole story, then thoughtfully said, "Li Mao approached you on his own initiative. Given his timid and cowardly nature, he probably wouldn't have told a third person. So, who leaked the information that you started investigating the accounts?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the reception room seemed to tense up.

Gu Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly.

Wang Yongjiang's question wasn't "who leaked the secret," but rather "the channel through which the secret was leaked."

The difference between the two is that the former points to people, while the latter points to paths.

"Now that you ask, I remember," Gu Cheng leaned forward slightly. "I had Tianqi check the accounts after the funds from Fengtian arrived."

Within three or four days, Lu Shoulian received the news and summoned Li Mao for questioning that very night. Li Mao said that Lu Shoulian asked him, "Is Gu Cheng investigating the camp's accounts? Did Wang Yongjiang provide the account books?"

Wang Yongjiang frowned slightly: "You even know about the account books?"

"Exactly." Gu Cheng nodded. "Not many people know about the audit. Tianqi, Tingshu, myself, plus Yang Hao and two trusted clerks, that's no more than seven or eight people at most. I trust all of these people; they wouldn't pass on any information."

Wang Yongjiang remained silent for a moment, then slowly turned his gaze to Mo Dehui.

Mo Dehui was holding a teacup, as if she was thinking about something.

Noticing Wang Yongjiang's gaze, he paused slightly, put down his teacup, and said with a calm expression, "Min Gong, it is true that I handed the account book over to Commander Gu, but I have not mentioned this to anyone."

Wang Yongjiang didn't reply, he just looked at him with a neutral gaze.

Mo Dehui felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and added, "Lu Shoulian has been operating in Jinzhou for many years and has many informants. Perhaps the information was leaked from the quartermaster department. Although Li Mao is timid, his two clerks may not be reliable."

Gu Cheng nodded: "That's possible. However—"

He glanced at Wang Yongjiang, as if carefully choosing his words. "The question Lu Shoulian asked Li Mao, 'Did Wang Yongjiang give you the account book?' Even fewer people know about this. Apart from Min Gong, Mr. Liu Chen, Tianqi, and me, no one else knows about the account book. I trust Tianqi's character; he won't tell."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning was already clear.

Only a handful of people knew the source of the ledger.

Mo Dehui's expression changed slightly, but she quickly returned to normal, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and did not reply.

Wang Yongjiang leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "Lu Shoulian knew about the audit, which is not surprising. He has a guilty conscience and keeps a close eye on the quartermaster's every move. He can sense even the slightest movement from Li Mao's side. But about the account books—"

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on Mo Dehui. "Liu Chen, think carefully. When you handed the account book to Commander Gu, was anyone seen? Was anyone heard?"

Mo Dehui thought about it carefully for a while, then shook her head: "That day was in the evening. I put the account book in a brown paper bag and delivered it to you in person... I didn't encounter many people on the way."

Later, when you met with Commander Gu, the account books were handed over to him; they didn't pass through the hands of a third person.

"So, no one saw it?" Wang Yongjiang pressed.

"No," Mo Dehui answered crisply.

The side hall fell silent again.

Gu Cheng subconsciously reached into his pocket, and when he took out the cigarette case, his gaze lingered on Mo Dehui's face for a moment before shifting away.

He didn't ask any further questions.

It's not that I didn't want to ask, but there were some things I couldn't say in front of Wang Yongjiang.

The construction of the Jinzhou Camp was personally overseen by Marshal Zhang Zuolin, and all the building materials were provided by the Fengtian Finance Department.

During this period, Wang Yongjiang was ill, and Mo Dehui took care of everything, big and small.

No matter how capable Lu Shoulian was, the construction materials for the main camp would definitely not be bypassed by Mo Dehui.

Could he be involved in this too?

Gu Cheng couldn't help but think that way.

However, Mo Dehui has been Wang Yongjiang's confidant for over ten years, and as a junior, he cannot rashly question him without solid evidence.

That would not only embarrass Wang Yongjiang, but also put himself in a passive position.

But the string in my heart had already quietly tightened.

Wang Yongjiang didn't continue the topic, but instead changed the subject: "Lu Shoulian is dead, but his account books, correspondence, and receipts he handled won't just disappear into thin air. How do you plan to investigate?"

Gu Cheng composed himself, temporarily suppressing his earlier doubts, and said in a deep voice, "I've already had people keeping an eye on the Lu family. The Lu family is in complete disarray right now, and the Chamber of Commerce is also making moves everywhere. If someone takes advantage of the chaos to sneak in and search for something, or take something away, there will definitely be a commotion."

"Just watching isn't enough," Wang Yongjiang shook his head. "The Lu family might not know the importance of those things; they might just throw them away or burn them. You have to take the initiative to find them."

Gu Cheng nodded: "That's what I was thinking too. After dark, I'll personally lead a search party to the Lu family's residence."

Wang Yongjiang remained silent for a moment, then took out a red jade seal from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Gu Cheng.

"This is my official seal." His voice was deep. "Take it. If the Lu family tries to stop you, say I sent you. If anyone dares to stop you, tell them to come find me."

Gu Cheng accepted the seal, still warm from his body, with both hands and carefully put it away: "Thank you, Lord Min."

Wang Yongjiang waved his hand, his breathing slightly unsteady: "Lu Shoulian acts as an intermediary, handling not only the building materials for the main camp, but also all the distribution of goods between the interior and exterior of the pass in Jinzhou, all through the Chamber of Commerce's procedures."

He had dealings with the Kwantung Army, so it wasn't just building materials—everything from the supply depot's provisions, clothing, and medicine—passed through his hands.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and cleared his throat. "Those businesses are ostensibly doing business with Lu Shoulian, but are they secretly colluding with the Japanese... Jingchuan, you have to find out all of this. Especially the ones that have dealings with Dalian Port—the grain depots, the herbal medicine shops, the cloth shops—you can't miss a single one."