Chapter 2328 - Going to Wuzhou (VII)

Chen Baibin looked at the materials on the table. Xie Erren had moved fast, cleaning up all retained personnel who could prove Cai Lan had a special relationship with him. Of course, whether Zhao Fengtian, Zheng Ergen, or Luo Yangming—all could prove Cai Lan's existence. But once they gave relevant testimony, it would mean standing on the opposite side of Xie Erren.

Except for Luo Yangming, who could receive the protection of the Political Security Bureau, the other two would inevitably struggle in the Senate's cadre system in the future. Chen Baibin had roughly understood Ji Xin's meaning: protect the naturalized cadres.

Who else could prove the special relationship between Cai Lan and Xie Erren? He thought and thought, finally recalling Jiang Qiuchan, mentioned in Luo Yangming's report. According to that report, Jiang Qiuchan had also served in the San Zong Fu for a time.

He immediately told Ji Xin this idea.

"Just right," Ji Xin said. "Here's a document just sent by Zheng Ergen—the conclusion of their investigation report on the Sanhezui camp." He handed the report over as he spoke.

Chen Baibin flipped through it roughly. It basically matched the sporadic information about Sanhezui they'd obtained in interrogation and confirmed their deduction: Liu Youwang had acted illegally, Jiang Yougong had aided the tyrant, and Chang Qingyun had added fuel to the fire.

But the following content was interesting. Two small ox-horn secret stamp chops had been found on Jiang Yougong's corpse and among Liu Youwang's personal items. After identification and inspection, they were found to originate from the Ruijin Tang Silk Shop in Wuzhou city.

Jiang Rongxian, the boss of Ruijin Tang Silk Shop, confessed that these two secret stamp chops were vouchers for illicit money they'd obtained from reselling grain and materials from the camp, kept at the counter.

"This Liu Youwang really has enormous guts!" Chen Baibin was startled. Though he had seen quite a few naturalized citizen corruption cases, and some with larger amounts than this, daring to be so lawless and act so willfully while on the front line and in a prisoner camp—this was the first time he'd seen anything like it.

"The one pulling strings was Chang Qingyun. Interesting, right?"

"Isn't that very normal? Chang Qingyun was Liu Youwang's lackey."

"Chang Qingyun was an outsider, unfamiliar with people and places in Wuzhou. For this kind of private black transaction, even if he knew Ruijin Tang had the capability and went to their door himself, Jiang Rongxian wouldn't dare accept."

"Then... it was Yi Haoran?!"

"Though we don't have direct evidence, it was likely him. Reading his confession, I feel this Yi Haoran is very crafty. He confesses whatever aspect we've mastered; if we haven't mastered it, he says nothing..."

Chen Baibin laughed dryly a few times, thinking: Does this need saying? The confession we got was definitely 'processed.'

"Jiang Rongxian's younger sister is Jiang Qiuchan. For a time, Jiang Qiuchan's son was sent to Yi Haoran to study. So Jiang Qiuchan is not only a 'distant vine-tendril relative' with Yi Haoran, but they also trust each other deeply. Yi Haoran downplaying the relationship between him and Jiang Qiuchan is problematic in itself."

"So Jiang Qiuchan is also a key figure."

"Correct." Ji Xin nodded. "Luo Yangming said in the report that Jiang Qiuchan also served in the San Zong Fu. Though what she did specifically is unclear, it likely has to do with Cai Lan."

"Yi Haoran, Chang Qingyun, Jiang Qiuchan, Cai Lan..." Chen Baibin casually drew a relationship diagram between them on white paper. "This is a web!" He exclaimed.

"Correct." Ji Xin nodded. "Yi Haoran sat in the grain shop's accounting room, actually controlling the overall situation through this web—this person is truly a genius!"

"Then this Jiang Qiuchan..."

"Already gone." Ji Xin said lightly. "According to Zheng Ergen's arrest report, Jiang Qiuchan is no longer in Wuzhou. According to her brother, she took her son back to Teng County more than ten days ago."

"Hehe, didn't go back earlier, didn't go back later, going back at this particular time. Truly very coincidental." Chen Baibin said. "We should immediately send a document to Teng County asking them to arrest Jiang Qiuchan!"

"I already asked Zheng Ergen to send a document to the police station in Teng County, but I highly doubt whether Teng County can find her. The current situation is chaotic, and our regime institutions are very imperfect. She can easily hide by changing her name."

"So this line is also broken."

"Mm." Ji Xin remained noncommittal. "Now there is an even stranger thing: according to Jiang Rongxian's confession, three secret stamp chops were carved at that time, all handled by Chang Qingyun. So the specific holders are unknown."

"There were three?"

"Correct. We know two. Who has the other one? Probably only Liu Youwang knows—but this Liu Youwang simply won't speak. No matter how he's interrogated, he says the same sentence over and over: 'Beat me, kill me, whatever you want. But I absolutely won't betray friends.'"

"Didn't expect this person to be quite loyal."

"Not only is he loyal, he also loves the Senate incomparably." Ji Xin said. "Looking at his confession, he's truly full of love for the Senate—not to beg for his life, but purely sincere, from the bottom of his heart."

"Sincere and yet doing so many bad things! This digging at the foundation is almost bringing down the wall!"

"Little Chen, you don't understand the thinking mode of these people. To them, this isn't called digging the foundation, but the 'treatment' of being an official. Don't look at Liu Youwang's destitute background, almost starving to death before we came. But toward the style of wealthy people and officials in this spacetime, he not only envied but identified with it. Now that he's become an official, he also regards these things as a matter of course. Do you think just relying on our bit of political education and system design can make them reborn? Many people can't do it... Liu Youwang is just a relatively stupid one among those who can't."

"No matter how loyal he is, we must dig out the third person!"

Ji Xin nodded. According to speculation, if this third person was a naturalized citizen, it would be nothing more than one of the several important naturalized cadres in the city. But this case was being handled by Zhao Fengtian and others from beginning to end. They had neither tried to hide the existence of this third person nor secretly sent Liu Youwang to the Western Heaven. This showed they were not among the holders. Maybe it's someone else? After all, until now, they hadn't found out the real mastermind behind the Wuzhou riot.

"Who the third person is, we can investigate slowly later. This is not the key point." Ji Xin had now roughly traced the pulse of the entire Wuzhou Incident and had a rough understanding of the roles played by various parties. Though the third person was important, finding them wasn't his purpose for coming here.

"But we have no other clues anymore. Cai Lan and Xie Erren's relationship... just let it go like this?" Chen Baibin was suddenly somewhat discouraged.

Ji Xin felt quite conflicted about whether to investigate Cai Lan and Xie Erren's relationship thoroughly. Clearing it up would help purify the atmosphere in the Senate's future work and remind other Senators. But if cleared up, Xie Erren would be discredited in the Senate. It would be a fatal blow to his personal political future.

Xie Erren obviously also saw this clearly and had used many means to sever the direct connection between Cai Lan and himself. No matter what the secret report said, the basis for the Senate's final handling of this matter was still Ji Xin's report. As long as Ji Xin's report couldn't verify it, then he would be considered to have cast off this fatal charge.

However, since Cai Lan had appeared in the secret report, the investigation must have a conclusion. Otherwise it would be questioned. How to grasp this balance was what Ji Xin found most difficult right now.

Directly calling on several important naturalized cadres and forcing them to tell the truth wouldn't be difficult, and Luo Yangming wouldn't refuse. But this violated his original intention of "protecting naturalized cadres."

He flipped through the materials in hand again and again, suddenly discovering an item in the draft of the "Weekly Report" sent by Luo Yangming to the Political Security Bureau: "Dragon Mother Temple Assassination Case."

Ji Xin was stunned—such a thing had happened in Wuzhou? He actually hadn't known at all, and no one had mentioned it to him! It seemed the waters in Wuzhou were really deep.

He checked the date; it had happened shortly after the recovery of Wuzhou. Pulling out the report to read in detail, it turned out someone had attempted to assassinate Xie Erren in front of the Dragon Mother Temple.

This immediately aroused his interest—especially since the report mentioned the assassin was a woman!

"Look at this! There's a problem here."

Chen Baibin took the report, read it once, and said excitedly: "This person must be Cai Lan!"

Ji Xin said: "Whether or not it's her is hard to say yet. But indeed very likely."

"Did Xie Erren report this matter to the Senate?"

"Probably didn't report. Otherwise, the number of guards arranged for him should have increased. But this doesn't count as a problem either; after all, in the Yellow Zone, anything can happen."

"We should immediately question people around him to understand."

"I think those people around him probably have concerns about speaking. There is a more suitable person here." Ji Xin said. "He had a guide when he went to the Dragon Mother Temple."

Though He Dongli had acted as a guide to accompany Xie Erren touring the whole city, he hadn't accepted the title of "Consultative Bureau Committee Member." This wasn't because he worried about the counterattack of the Great Ming or the like, but because He Dongli prided himself on being a scholar and was unwilling to work together with a group of big merchants.

So he mostly stayed home with his doors closed, reading. His family had some properties outside the city. Though in the turmoil of war, security in the suburbs was still fair, and grain and vegetables were not lacking. Xie Erren intended to win him over, occasionally inviting him out to chat, asking him to do work on local scholars and gentry. Afterward, he would gift some wine, meat, money, and rice. Life passed peacefully.

The Wuzhou riot a few days ago had really given this Mr. He a scare. He wasn't afraid of the return of the Great Ming government, but that breaking the city would inevitably lead to great chaos. A well-to-do family like his would probably suffer devastation—an army with strict discipline like the Australians was unique.

This scare made He Dongli shut his door and decline guests even more, living in seclusion.

(End of Chapter)