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

Gu Cheng nodded: "I've noted it down. The Lu family's account books should have records of these businesses' transactions. If we can find them, we can follow this line of inquiry and find out who else is working for the Japanese."

"If you can find it, great; if not—" Wang Yongjiang's gaze darkened, "start with Li Mao. He has records of every purchase he handled, including which supplier, who handled it, and the price. Get those records and investigate them one by one; you'll eventually find a breakthrough."

Gu Cheng remained silent for a moment before finally speaking slowly: "Min Gong, to be honest, thanks to Tian Qi's efforts, all the accounts and transactions have been sorted out—"

Every single item—where it came from, who handled it, which merchant it went through, and its price—was meticulously recorded.

He paused, his gaze falling on Mo Dehui again, but he didn't continue speaking.

Wang Yongjiang noticed his unusual behavior, and his face suddenly turned cold: "Ever since you came in, you've been evasive, glancing at Liu Chen one minute and then hesitating to speak the next. What exactly are you trying to say?"

Gu Cheng took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision: "Min Gong, what I'm about to say concerns Mr. Liu Chen."

Mo Dehui suddenly looked up, her expression changing slightly: "My dear Commander Gu, what do you mean by that? I admit I've handled these matters, and I know there might be some shady dealings on Lu Shoulian's side—"

But I never asked him about it in detail, and I knew nothing about his collusion with the Japanese! Min Gong, you don't suspect I also received some kind of "service fee," do you?

At this point, the man's face was full of grievance.

Wang Yongjiang didn't look at him; his gaze remained fixed on Gu Cheng's face, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger.

Gu Cheng stood up and walked to Mo Dehui: "Mr. Liu Chen, I didn't say you received any service fee. But there's one thing I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"The question Lu Shoulian asked Li Mao—'Did Wang Yongjiang give you the account book?'" Gu Cheng said, emphasizing each word. "The only people who know about this are Min Gong, you, me, and Gao Tianqi."

Tianqi is seriously injured and bedridden, let alone able to go out. I haven't mentioned it to anyone. Min Gong certainly wouldn't tell anyone. So—”

He stared into Mo Dehui's eyes. "How did Lu Shoulian know?"

A deathly silence.

Mo Dehui tried to defend herself, but found that she had no way to argue.

Indeed, only the four of them knew about the account books.

If he, Wang Yongjiang, Gu Cheng, and Gao Tianqi did not leak any information, then where did Lu Shoulian get his information from?

unless--

"Unless Lu Shoulian has planted a spy by Min Gong's side." Gu Cheng said slowly, "Mr. Liu Chen, I'm not doubting you. But think about it, on the evening you delivered the account book, was anyone following you?"

While you were at the Min Gong residence, did anyone approach your briefcase? Or was anyone hiding in the shadows eavesdropping?

Mo Dehui was stunned.

He slowly sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and thought back for a long time.

"That day, when I came out of the official residence, I met the Lu family's steward at the gate." His voice was low and somewhat uncertain. "He said he was there to deliver medicinal herbs to Duke Min on behalf of Lu Shoulian, and he had been waiting at the gate for quite a while."

I exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and he asked what I was holding. I said it was official documents, without going into details.

Gu Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly: "And then?"

"Then he left," Mo Dehui recalled. "I didn't pay attention at the time, but now that I think about it—how could he be so coincident, waiting at the door right when I came out? The Min Gong's official residence—would a steward from a merchant guild go there so often?"

Wang Yongjiang, who had remained silent until this point, slowly spoke up: "What's the name of the Lu family's steward?"

Mo Dehui thought for a moment: "His surname is Zhao, and his name is Zhao Quanfu. He's been working for Lu Shoulian for over ten years; he's a real old fox... Oh, right, the one who was yelling and shouting just now, that's his cousin, Zhao Quande! Both of them have jobs at the Lu family's residence—"

Wang Yongjiang sneered, "It seems this guy surnamed Zhao is most likely connected to the Japanese. How could a steward of a chamber of commerce have the audacity to spy on the official residence? Without anyone backing him up, he wouldn't dare to do it even if you gave him ten lives."

Gu Cheng nodded: "Min Gong is right. Now that Lu Shoulian is dead, the Zhao brothers are still making a big fuss outside, stirring up public opinion, insisting that I forced Chairman Lu to his death, and trying to pin the blame on me. I don't believe there wasn't Japanese behind this."

While the two were talking, Mo Dehui was deep in thought. As soon as Gu Cheng finished speaking, he suddenly stood up.

"Min Gong, I am also partly responsible for this matter." He looked guilty. "It concerns the Jinzhou camp. I was in charge of purchasing building materials, but I did not check them carefully or conduct spot checks on the delivered materials—this is my dereliction of duty."

But I really didn't expect them to be so bold as to tamper with things in the Jinzhou camp and even collude with the Japanese..."

Wang Yongjiang stared straight at him: "Didn't expect that? Liu Chen, you've been with me for eleven years, you should know my temper. My first rule for employing people is 'to act impartially and meticulously.'"

"And you, you believed Lu Shoulian when he quoted a low price; you believed him when he showed you a fake invoice—your 'unexpected' act almost destroyed the very foundation of the Jinzhou camp."

Mo Dehui lowered her head, not daring to argue: "Min Gong is right, I... I am willing to accept the punishment."

"We'll talk about the punishment later." Wang Yongjiang turned to Gu Cheng. "Jingchuan, continue. How do you plan to investigate Zhao Quanfu?"

Gu Cheng pondered for a moment: "Zhao Quanfu was the steward of the Lu family. He handled most of Lu Shoulian's correspondence, accounts, and letters during his lifetime."

Lu Shoulian is dead, yet he and his cousin can still argue loudly; the Japanese haven't silenced him yet—clearly, he still has value. If I follow this lead, I can drag all these people out.”

Wang Yongjiang smiled with satisfaction and nodded, saying, "It seems you've made progress. Alright, in that case, I'll go back and wait for your good news."

With Mo Dehui's help, he stood up, took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Gu Cheng, his gaze deep.

"By the way, Jingchuan," he said clearly, "if you catch these traitors, simply shooting them won't do. You must hand them over to the Commander-in-Chief for disposal."

These people are connected to the Kwantung Army, and the implications are too far-reaching for either of us to decide. Handing them over to Fengtian and letting the Marshal confront the Japanese is the best course of action.

Gu Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed solemnly: "This junior understands. Thank you for your guidance, Lord Min."

Wang Yongjiang nodded, helped Mo Dehui up, and walked towards the door, muttering some official business under his breath. The latter nodded repeatedly with a respectful expression.