Chapter 2482: Stripping the Cocoon (Part 1)
The meeting at Songluo Tea House concluded successfully. Hao Fang had prepared for this moment for a long time—all to give a proper accounting to Shi Weng, who stood behind Master Li.
Since the end of the Guangzhou plague, he had spent nearly forty to fifty thousand taels of Shi Weng's silver over the past year. The assistants sent to him had also been funded from that source. Yet he had little to show for it. No matter how loyal he was, Shi Weng—far away in Nanjing—would not easily forgive such poor returns.
Hao Fang knew he was not the only piece on Shi Weng's board in Guangzhou Prefecture. If his patron decided he had outlived his usefulness, his own life would be forfeit. Worse, his pregnant concubine and the son he had never met would likely meet a cruel fate as well.
The thought sent a chill down the back of his neck.
Fortunately, the personnel Shi Weng sent were highly capable. In less than half a year, they had produced counterfeit silver dollars convincing enough to pass inspection, and the banknote operation showed promise. This gave Hao Fang some comfort. His great cause of opposing the Baldies could continue—and he could still rake in considerable profit.
He remained unclear on exactly what use the fake currency served. In fact, he still didn't know where Li Fugui and the others conducted their counterfeiting. Within the entire network, his role was simply that of a central hub for communication and transportation.
Li Fugui's team delivered the counterfeit coins to him. Another unnamed group brought the smelted drug silver. Shi Weng's men provided operational funds and delivered their master's latest instructions. Boss He came to collect the goods and spend the fake currency...
When he thought about it, he knew nothing—yet he knew everything. If the Bald Thieves ever caught him, he could only confess a few names. Shi Weng was clever, truly clever!
Of course, Second Master Hao would never let the Bald Thieves catch him. He had long planned his escape route using Wang Daniao's "Ditch Map," and just in case, he always carried poison on his person. He had heard enough about the Bald Thieves' methods.
Everything was running smoothly according to plan. However, a recent incident had caused him considerable anxiety: not long ago, an ingot of drug silver had inexplicably gone missing during delivery.
The courier insisted it had been lost or stolen on the road. A thorough search revealed no trace of the silver on his person.
To be cautious, Hao Fang had Hao Ping silence the man and dump the body into the Six Veins Canal. But the matter remained a sore point.
Whether the silver was lost, stolen, or secretly pocketed by the courier, it would inevitably surface in the market. Though the drug silver looked remarkably genuine, money-changing "silver dogs" would likely spot the flaws. If only the silver dogs noticed, that would be manageable—but if it alerted the Bald Thieves, there would be serious trouble.
The silver ingot stamped "Sanjiangmao" had been left at the scene when dealing with Wang Daniao and Wang Xiuzhu. The Bald Thieves had surely recovered it afterward. He had heard they were now inquiring about the stamp's origin at various smelting shops. Fortunately, no drug silver had been circulating in the market at the time, and Daoist Wu had not used that stamp when smelting silver. The Bald Thieves probably hadn't connected the two—yet.
"Second Master, Monk Haixiang is here."
"Invite him in," Hao Fang said.
This pockmarked monk was always elusive. Each time he came, he was collected from a secret location in the Six Veins Canal and ferried to this hidden residence. Obviously, he too had obtained a copy of Wang Daniao's Ditch Map.
Hao Fang knew little of this man's background, but his importance was undeniable. Every appearance brought vital information.
When Hao Ping escorted the monk before him, however, Second Master Hao was startled. The man wore not a monk's robe but Australian attire.
"Master... you are..."
"These days, even a monk cannot live freely in Guangzhou," Master Haixiang said with some emotion. "Now even wandering monks seeking lodging must register their household residence. I cannot remain in the city any longer."
"The Bald Thieves' patrols grow stricter by the day. This was to be expected," Hao Fang smiled bitterly. "Fortunately, we relocated the furnaces beforehand! Otherwise, I would probably be rotting in a Bald Thieves' prison right now."
"Hehe, such jokes are better left unsaid," Master Haixiang replied. "I came to tell you something important."
"Please speak."
"That Sanjiangmao stamp—stop using it," Master Haixiang said. "There was a slip-up."
"What happened?"
"Someone brought five ingots of Sanjiangmao silver to Guangzhou and caught the attention of our brothers at the dock. We thought he had stolen drug silver, so we planned to kidnap him... Unexpectedly, a fight broke out, and someone else knocked him unconscious with a stick before we could get him. We failed to bring him in, and that planted the seed of disaster!" Master Haixiang sighed deeply.
"That silver..."
"It wasn't drug silver—it was genuine!" Master Haixiang seemed surprised himself.
"Is that so?!" Hao Fang's mouth fell open, his heart pounding.
"Correct, just old silver ingots." Master Haixiang nodded. "And as it happens, this person is now a guest of the Bald Thieves. They've noticed and are investigating the origin of Sanjiangmao."
Hao Fang drew in a sharp breath. Only after a long moment did he manage, "I understand. Many thanks for the Master's guidance!"
"There is one more thing," Master Haixiang whispered. "Two-thirds of next month's silver dollar output—send it to..." He lowered his voice further, then instructed, "Be careful with such a large shipment. Do not let it be seen."
The former Great Ming Censorate's Guangdong Circuit Intendant Yamen had become the Guangdong Regional Bureau of Political Security.
In an office converted from a courtroom, Yang Cao took a sip of coffee, set the cup back on her desk, and said, "It's weak." The clerk beside her immediately took the coffee pot and walked to the pantry.
Yang Cao examined the documents in the folder carefully. After a while, she stood and walked to the wooden blackboard at one end of the office, staring wordlessly for a long time at the relationship chart drawn in chalk.
Various strips of paper and photos covered the blackboard, pinned with wooden-handled steel tacks and connected by chalk arrows. Some arrows bore written notes, the whole thing appearing chaotic and disorderly.
Yang Cao's gaze wandered through the tangled clues, finally resting on a black-and-white photo of Liang Cunhou. The successful resolution of the Witchcraft Case had brought great honor to both the Bureau of Political Security and Yang Cao personally, but beneath this glory lay an imperfect regret. The dormancy of local anti-Song forces made identifying hostile elements increasingly difficult.
According to their intelligence, at least two threads in the Witchcraft Case led back to Liang Cunhou. First, Daoist Wood-Stone seemed to have contacted prominent local gentry and received assistance before committing his crimes and escaping—and Liang Cunhou was highly suspected. Second, Liang Cunhou had collected and analyzed an unusually large volume of Senate materials.
After the first civil service examination in Guangzhou, during the political review of admitted personnel, a man named Wu Ming was discovered to have participated in the "Yuyuan Society" run by Liang Cunhou. Through Wu Ming's interrogation, the Bureau of Political Security obtained extensive information about the organization. The Yuyuan Society had been founded to research and learn from so-called "Baldy Studies" and to explore weaknesses in the Senate's current governing structure. Many of its members possessed characteristics of potential anti-Song elements. The conclusion from analyzing both threads together was self-evident.
Within the Guangzhou municipal government, Liang Cunhou had long been blacklisted. Investigation and surveillance of him had been intensified.
But the investigation lacked a crucial element: evidence. Whether physical evidence or witnesses, every time the net seemed about to close, it was silently severed. Yang Cao never feared reckless enemies—frequent actions meant errors and clues, and reckless actions revealed the enemy's despair and helplessness. A fish on the chopping block always struggled most violently. But this opponent was extraordinarily cautious, never reacting impulsively, instead adopting "creeping tactics." The resistance was slow and feeble, yet firm and ceaseless.
The clerk outside the door returned with espresso and said softly, "Comrade Regional Vice Commander, your coffee!" Seeing no reaction, the clerk continued: "The Regional Bureau of Finance and Taxation sent the latest assistance request notification regarding the counterfeit currency investigation case..."
Yang Cao paused and asked, "Is there an official document?"
"There is. It was issued in the name of the General Bureau of Finance and Taxation to the General Bureau of Political Security, then forwarded to Guangzhou. Deputy Director Zhao has already approved it. The telegram is being transcribed."
"This matter is currently the police's responsibility. Give them whatever materials they request; do not provide anything they haven't mentioned."
"Yes, Comrade Regional Vice Commander!"
"Go invite the responsible comrade from the Investigation Section."
Before long, Xu Tong, head of the Investigation Section, arrived at Yang Cao's office. Her style remained stiff and direct: "What progress has been made in monitoring the Liang residence?"
Xu Tong had just sat down. Before he could adjust his posture, he hurriedly replied: "Our peripheral investigators have consistently been unable to penetrate the inner residence to obtain definitive intelligence. However, judging from recent activity and the reactions of parties connected to the Liang residence, it appears related to the aftermath of the recent tax audit. Analysis suggests they are dealing with problematic accounts to evade enforcement. Three days ago, Liang Cunhou visited Director Zheng of the Commerce Department and Miss Pei of Purple Cloud Tower, and visited Gao Ju the following day."
Yang Cao asked, "Did they meet?" As she spoke, she took a cigarette from a case.
Xu Tong flipped through his notebook: "Director Zheng declined on grounds of attending industrial and commercial activities. Miss Pei met him briefly, but no substantive issues were discussed. Because Liang Cunhou is under key surveillance by both the Bureau and Guangzhou City, both the Commerce Department and Purple Cloud Tower compiled reception records and forwarded them. Related gifts were also registered and turned in. Since Gao Ju is a private citizen with no direct connection to us, we have no relevant feedback."
He regarded this capable woman who had risen from humble origins to become famous within the system. She wore countless halos of honor and was known for being ruthless. However, Xu Tong—a graduate of the Fan Ts'ao Ti National School's advanced elementary class who had received two years of specialized education at the Political Security Training School—did not think highly of her professional abilities.
(End of Chapter)