Chapter 2783: The Capital (Part 139)

"If you ask me, you were reckless." Zhou Lezhi sighed after hearing Xu Yong's words.

"Mr. Le..."

"I understand what you mean. You Rong is Mr. Zhou's concubine—she must come to no harm. You feel this responsibility toward Mr. Zhou and Master Wang..." He couldn't help but sigh again.

"Mr. Le, is something improper?"

"Improper?" Zhou Lezhi smiled bitterly. "Once a bow is drawn, the arrow cannot be recalled. Continue handling this matter yourself. Just don't come here anymore. Contact me directly by letter. If something urgent arises, go to Master Wang. The Kun have many eyes and ears outside; you must be careful."

"This is the Capital, sir. With Master Wang's protection, why fear a few Kun operatives?"

Zhou Lezhi smiled without answering. After giving a few more instructions, he saw Xu Yong out.

The moment Xu Yong departed, Zhou Lezhi summoned Wang Zhi. "Pack light. We're leaving."

Wang Zhi started in surprise. "Leaving? Where to?"

Their safe houses in the Capital were few, and some locations couldn't be visited at all.

"Anywhere. We just need to leave here first." Zhou Lezhi said, "Find an inn for the time being."

Wang Zhi tried to reason with him. "In broad daylight, what is Master afraid of? Surely the Kun wouldn't dare force their way in during the day..."

"They would dare. And they will."

Though Wang Zhi was not his household servant, he had followed Zhou Lezhi's instructions for years and knew better than to argue. He immediately went to pack their luggage. Zhou Lezhi gathered the most critical items and waited for Wang Zhi to arrange a sedan chair.

In just two quarters of an hour, Wang Zhi returned with his report: everything was packed, and the sedan chair waited at the door.

"Which house?"

"From the sedan chair stand at the east end of the street." Wang Zhi knew Mr. Le's rule well: never hail a roving sedan chair; always call from a proper stand—the bearers there were regulars, and strangers couldn't simply wait there for business.

"Let's go." Zhou Lezhi rose.

The two changed their attire and made their way to the residence gate. Indeed, a two-man sedan chair stood waiting outside. Wang Zhi scrutinized it briefly and gave a slight nod, indicating that the bearers were the usual men and no suspicious figures lurked nearby. Only then did Zhou Lezhi step through the gate and climb into the sedan chair.

The bearer asked in a low voice, "Where to, Second Master?"

Zhou Lezhi had already selected an inn in the north of the city, but following his instructions, Wang Zhi named a different destination: "Haiyuan Temple!"

The sedan chair lifted smoothly and set off at a brisk, steady pace. When boarding, Zhou Lezhi had surveyed the street—desolate, not a soul in sight, nothing suspicious. Now that they were moving, his heart settled considerably. He reflected that hiding like this was no solution. Being driven to his own doorstep by the Kun caused too much inconvenience. He needed to find a way to counterattack. But here at the foot of the Emperor, one had to act with many scruples. Were it not for the current "Kun Affairs" strategy, he would have preferred to travel to Zhejiang earlier. At least there, he could work with peace of mind...

Without realizing it, Zhou Lezhi drifted into sleep. He slept deeply—so deeply that he didn't even dream. In the moment of waking, he couldn't remember who he was or where he was.

He jolted awake in alarm. How had he fallen asleep?! Looking around, he saw that he was no longer in the sedan chair but lying on a bed. His limbs were bound firmly, his body stripped completely bare, even his hair bun undone.

He had fallen into a trap! In an instant, a cold current like ice water at the peak of winter poured from the crown of his skull, spreading rapidly along his spine to every limb and bone—cold to the very marrow.

Through his shivering, he heard the room door open. Several sets of footsteps entered, approaching the bed. The curtain was lifted slightly at one corner.

"Is it him?" someone asked.

"It's him." The voice was quite familiar—the "Cold God of Wealth," Leng Ningyun, whom he himself had invited.

"Done."

The footsteps receded, and the room door closed again.

Capturing Zhou Lezhi was a tremendous achievement for Xu Ke. After confirming there was no error, he sent a telegram to Lingao immediately.

That night, a reply arrived from Lingao: "Escort him safely back to the Farm at once." A second line followed: "Arrest all personnel in the Zhou residence and send them as well."

"Arrest the people in the Zhou residence too?" Min Zhanlian was taken aback. "But they're all women and children..."

"Who told them to be that Mr. Zhou's people?" Xu Ke replied flatly. "The Senate won't rest until they've investigated this matter to its very foundations. I'm afraid even more people will be implicated before this is over."

"Then the Minister of War, Master Wang..."

"We can't touch him yet," Xu Ke said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't escape either. But this time, we've severed his left and right arms. If he wants to stir up trouble going forward, it won't be so easy." He looked at Min Zhanlian and suddenly laughed. "Aren't you a man of the Jianghu? Why have you become so wishy-washy?"

"This subordinate understands! He is an imperial criminal of the Senate."

"Correct." Xu Ke nodded. "You just concern yourself with arrests and eliminations. Anything beyond that—you know nothing about."

"Yes!" A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Min Zhanlian's forehead. He knew Senator Xu was always straightforward, not a man given to pretense or false profundity. These words were no mere alarmist talk.

"Move quickly. Once this Mr. Le disappears, Master Wang will likely realize something is wrong. The Zhou residence might be placed under strict protection. If you arrive too late, things could get messy..."

After Min Zhanlian left, Xu Ke paced the room, unable to contain his excitement. This mysterious Mr. Le had finally fallen into their hands! It seemed he had been fully prepared for capture—he had been carrying multiple unknown drugs on his person, among which there might well have been poison.

A man prepared to commit suicide at any moment must harbor enormous secrets.

How to make him open his mouth and reveal those secrets was not Xu Ke's concern. That was a problem for the Political Security Bureau, or perhaps even higher authorities. The only thing he knew was that many in the Senate would probably be celebrating by dusting off their caps in congratulation. And of course, even more would share his own burning curiosity about the Shi Weng group and Mr. Le.

If this man was also a transmigrator, how would the Senate treat him? Xu Ke found the question fascinating. A consensus had been reached regarding the overarching principle: any transmigrator who had acted with hostility toward the Senate was classified as an "enemy," to be eliminated.

But principle was principle; specific handling naturally depended on the collective opinion of the Senate. After all, any single person was precious wealth.

Whether the outcome was "elimination" or "atonement through meritorious service," Xu Ke remained indifferent. He held no special feelings toward this mysterious figure.

Whether he was a transmigrator or not, this capture was equivalent to destroying more than half of the Shi Weng group's strength. The group's influence on the future could now be considered minimal. Xu Ke had come to the Capital initially just to rescue Leng Ningyun; he never expected to reap such a bountiful harvest. His own status and reputation in intelligence work would inevitably rise with each passing day. Building the Military Intelligence Bureau into something more than an empty shell would soon be within reach.

The more he thought, the more excited he became. A strong urge to drink heavily seized him. Just then, someone came to report: Liao Sanliang and Li Rufeng had arrived.

"Show them in."

Ordinarily, he wouldn't have needed to meet with them, but after the kidnapping incident, the reorganization of intelligence work that had already begun suddenly accelerated. The organizational structure in the Capital would undergo drastic adjustments. As an important asset of the Senate in the Capital, He Lian Sheng naturally had to be re-evaluated.

Though both had been trained in Lingao, years of working in the field meant old habits died hard. Li Rufeng bowed with hands clasped in the traditional male fashion, while Liao Sanliang bowed with hands at her sides in the women's manner. Xu Ke didn't mind, laughing as he said, "A rare sight, you two. Sit, sit."

"With a senior present, we dare not sit." Li Rufeng said respectfully.

"Nonsense! What kind of senior am I?" Xu Ke laughed. "No need for formalities. Sit down so we can discuss business!"

Only then did the two take their seats. The moment they sat, Liao Sanliang gave a detailed report on sending her people to intercept Pan Cheng'an.

"...This was more or less my own decision. Honestly, there was also some private intent—I couldn't bear to see a sister fall into a sea of bitterness."

Xu Ke nodded. This matter had not actually been hidden from him, and he had tacitly approved. If Liao Sanliang had wanted to justify her motives, she could have offered plenty of suitable reasons. That she spoke truthfully showed the openness of her character.

"...This is not a major matter, nor does it concern the special case we're currently handling." Xu Ke said. "Has the person been found?"

"Zhao Liangjian sent word yesterday. They've been watching Pan Cheng'an in Tongzhou and have also located You Rong's whereabouts. Within the next few days, both will be brought back. I wanted to ask for the Chief's instructions: how should these two be handled?"

"You Rong is on the special case list. Send her here immediately once you have her. As for Pan Cheng'an and anyone else involved—dispose of them as you see fit. Dispose of them cleanly."

What "clean" meant, both understood perfectly.

"In the rescue of Senator Leng, He Lian Sheng exerted tremendous effort and established great merit." Xu Ke offered his praise. "I've already telegraphed Guangzhou to request commendations for you..." He waved his hand to stop them before they could speak. "It's all well-deserved—no need for modesty. What I'm about to say next is the important matter: it concerns He Lian Sheng."

The expressions of both Liao and Li immediately grew serious. In recent years, the bodyguard agency business had become increasingly difficult. Most escort routes from the Capital to other regions were in a precarious state. Among traditional routes, the western route could only reach Shanxi; beyond that, nothing was certain. The route north to the border towns, however, could still be maintained—the numerous garrison troops along the road and the booming Mongolian trade of the "Old Xi'er" Shanxi merchants kept it viable.

As for the southbound route, only the "River Bodyguard" route along the Grand Canal managed to linger on.

Thus the business of various bodyguard agencies had plummeted, and closures were not uncommon. Strictly speaking, He Lian Sheng had little actual business either, but with the Senate's secret support, they had survived. Out of solidarity with their trade, they had also absorbed and placed quite a few personnel from other struggling agencies.

"He Lian Sheng's scale should be appropriately reduced." Xu Ke stated his conclusion at the outset. "Especially after this operation—He Lian Sheng contributed the most, but also exposed itself somewhat. Going forward, you'll likely become an object of attention for various parties. You should shrink your profile as much as possible."

(End of Chapter)