Chapter 1603 - An Imperfect Victory
"That's impossible. I've never been to the tea house."
"Oh?" The interrogator made a curious sound. "Did I say the room was in a tea house?"
Wang Qisuo realized he had let something slip and immediately shut his mouth. He knew the Shorn Bandits' interrogation relied on trapping you into saying more—the more you said, the easier it was to slip up.
"Take a good look at this," the interrogator said, tapping the document. "You think without ink or paste you couldn't leave fingerprints? You've been in Lingao long enough to remember: 'The Elder Council can do anything.'"
"Where there's a will, there's a way to frame someone," Wang Qisuo said stubbornly. "On what basis do you claim I left fingerprints?"
"These are from the cup, these from the table," the interrogator said. "And these are from the buckle of Xin Nachun's belt—the one you used to strangle her, isn't it?"
Wang Qisuo's lips twitched involuntarily.
The interrogator continued leisurely: "I imagine the killing went something like this: You went in, Xin Nachun poured you tea. You took the cup and drank—both your fingerprints are on it. She prepared pastries for you—quite considerate—but you didn't eat any. You told her to strip and kneel on all fours on the bed. She waited there, expecting your 'favor'—but what came instead was your death-grip..."
Wang Qisuo's body trembled uncontrollably. Every word struck home, as though the interrogator had witnessed the entire scene.
"Am I wrong, Seventh Master?" The interrogator's tone shifted, finally uttering that damning epithet.
"I—I'm not Seventh Master..." Wang Qisuo's voice quavered. "I'm not..."
"Then who is?"
"Not me," Wang Qisuo blurted. "They forced me to—"
He realized his composure had slipped and hung his head in defeat. "Give me a chance."
"How can I give you a chance?"
"I had no choice before. Now I want to be a good person."
"Very well. Tell the Chief. Maybe he'll let you be a good person."
Three hours later, Wu Mu received Liu Fuqing in his office, flipping through the main suspects' confessions: Wang Qisuo, Lin Ming, Li Yongxun...
That Wang Qisuo was Seventh Master had been virtually certain from the moment Liu Fuqing raised the possibility. The fingerprints from the tea house room matched his on file. In the end, it was just a matter of waiting for him to admit it.
According to Wang Qisuo's confession, he was indeed Embroidered Guard personnel—a hereditary minor banner officer from Shandong who had once served in the retinue of Xu Guangqi and picked up considerable Western learning.
After the Chongzhen Emperor's accession and the abolition of the Embroidered Guard's practice of monitoring officials, Wang Qisuo lost his position. Since he had prior connections to Xu Guangqi, he sought employment with Sun Yuanhua, who was drilling a new army at Dengzhou. Short on funds, Sun Yuanhua had become interested in the private salt trade along the Shandong coast.
That was how Wang Qisuo infiltrated a salt-smuggling gang. During a gang war, he was wounded and, by a twist of fate, his life was saved by Zhao Yingong.
By the time he recovered, the Dengzhou Mutiny had already broken out. Sun Yuanhua was in no position to help anyone, and Wang Qisuo dared not reveal his identity. Going home meant traveling within the same province, but with renegade soldiers everywhere, leaving "Manager Lu's" protection would have meant death.
While he hesitated, he was loaded onto a ship and eventually arrived in Lingao.
"So he wasn't a plant from the start?"
"Correct," Liu Fuqing said. "Elder Zhao's rescue of him was purely accidental. It couldn't have been a setup."
"Then how did he become Seventh Master?"
"According to his account, while escorting Chiefs on trips to Guangzhou, a former colleague recognized him..."
Wang Qisuo hadn't been particularly on guard. The two drank together, reminisced about old times. Wang Qisuo mentioned working in Lingao and asked his colleague to send word to his family in Shandong.
"...About half a year later, 'Master Shi's' people came looking for him with letters from his family, saying they'd all been taken to Tianjin where they were living comfortably—and that he should serve Master Shi with absolute loyalty."
"So his family are Master Shi's hostages."
"Yes. His wife, children, and mother are all in Master Shi's hands."
"But according to his personnel file, his self-statement says he has 'no immediate relatives.'"
"I asked about that too. He said he didn't dare admit he had family, because he was already undercover in the salt gang. He was afraid if his cover were blown, it would be used against him, so he claimed he was alone."
"Undercover in a salt gang, and then he ends up in Lingao playing double agent. Fate really has a sense of irony." Wu Mu sighed. "Are the Umbrella and Parasol cases connected?"
"According to his confession, both groups were sent by Master Shi. The guidance on how to infiltrate Lingao, how to go underground—that was all his work."
"How did he manage it?" Wu Mu was baffled. Wang Qisuo was only a Security Battalion soldier; training and duty consumed most of his time. He couldn't possibly have had so much time to coordinate with Master Shi.
"He traveled to Guangzhou as a guard escorting Elders or important cargo," Liu Fuqing reported. "I checked—the Security Battalion often temporarily seconds personnel from regular companies for escort duties—due to manpower shortages."
"So our organization is riddled with holes." Wu Mu muttered to himself, then asked: "How did he communicate with Master Shi?"
"By letter. A general-delivery mailbox..." Liu Fuqing said. "His contact with Sima Qiudao and the others also used this method."
A bitter smile crossed Wu Mu's face. It seemed the ancients were quick learners too.
"Is there any connection between Lin Ming, Li Yongxun, and him?"
"None. He did see Lin Ming's coded signal and thought another colleague had come to help, which is why he sent Xin Nachun to make contact. After Xin Nachun was rebuffed, he made several more visits to Lin Ming's inn to investigate. He concluded that Lin Ming probably had a separate mission and was not sent by Master Shi, so he didn't attempt further contact."
Wu Mu asked many more questions. Overall, the results were satisfactory. But who Master Shi really was, what motivated his relentless opposition to the Elder Council, and what power enabled him to deploy such forces to Lingao—these questions remained unsolved.
From Wang Qisuo's testimony and the materials from the Hangzhou incident, it appeared that "Master Shi" was probably just a front man dealing with expendable pawns. The real power behind him had yet to show his face.
Further interrogation of these prisoners would probably yield nothing more useful. Only by capturing Master Shi himself could they hope to expose the mastermind.
But that was not something he could control—it wasn't even something the Political Security Bureau could decide alone. Any operation on the mainland required multi-departmental coordination and orders from the Executive Committee.
At least they had unearthed the mole Wang Qisuo, Wu Mu thought. He gave Liu Fuqing his orders: "Continue interrogating Wang Qisuo. We need detailed records of exactly what intelligence he provided. Have Sima Qiudao and Zhuo Yifan regained consciousness yet?"
"They're still under treatment."
"Once they can withstand interrogation, subject them to rigorous questioning. Upgrade all sessions. Make them confess everything!"
"Yes, Chief."
At that moment, the telephone rang. Wu Mu picked up—Vice Director Zhao Manxiong's secretary: "The Chief would like you to come over immediately."
"All right. I'm on my way." Wu Mu organized the materials in his hands. For his subordinates, this was a time to await commendations. But for him, the next step probably held no such pleasantries—plenty of people in the Elder Council were waiting to see a show.
Zhao Manxiong reviewed his summary report, then set the files on the desk after a long silence.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you, Comrade Vice Director." Wu Mu knew the real talk was about to begin. Unearthing Wang Qisuo was certainly cause for celebration—but for the Elder Council, it was not that simple.
"Unfortunately, our victory is imperfect," Zhao Manxiong said.
"I know."
"We were lucky. Otherwise, the problem we'd be facing would be ten times worse. I truly have to thank Qian Shuiting's American-style education..."
"The Xiaocang incident was a problem with our protection system..."
Zhao Manxiong shook his head. "Xiao Wu, our protection system has problems, but does that mean our political security work has none? We can't slip past this."
A chill ran down Wu Mu's spine. "I'm prepared for the consequences."
"Our work is amateurish. We ourselves are amateurs too." Zhao Manxiong began pacing. "Next, there will certainly be calls for restructuring..."
"The Political Security Bureau must not be dismembered or merged!" Wu Mu said urgently. He knew there had long been voices in the Elder Council advocating for merging political security work into the police system.
"No. The Executive Committee will not allow it. Some Elders will also oppose it." Zhao Manxiong seemed confident. "Are you familiar with Guangzhou?"
"Not really." Since joining the Political Security Bureau, aside from a few inspection trips to the counties of Hainan and Taiwan, he had never left Lingao.
"I suggest you start familiarizing yourself with the materials on Guangzhou right now."