Zhu Shiqing's emotions churned within him—not out of gratitude for this sudden "blessing," but from grief and outrage at this grotesque parody of a society.
Yet he had gleaned some crucial information: at least these men in black were all members of the Fuxing Society, most likely career secret agents who were skilled and meticulous.
Using them to assist government agencies was far more fitting than regular troops; they were much better at rooting out potential "enemies."
Staring fixedly at Zheng Jiemin, Zhu Shiqing slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding and murmured, "Division Chief Zheng, please forgive me, but I cannot accept your order."
The square-faced man addressed as "Bo Tong" tightened his expression abruptly, a look of perplexity on his face. He turned to glance at Zheng Jiemin. Zheng Jiemin, however, showed neither anger nor delight; he simply listened, waiting a good while before saying, "Since you don't wish to join, the Fuxing Society won't force you. I only think you've passed up a fine chance to enjoy wealth and glory, kid."
Zhu Shiqing nodded as if nothing were the matter, squeezing a stiff smile onto his lips. "I thank you, Division Chief Zheng and Commander Kang, for your high regard. It is only that Shiqing has meager talents and little learning; having worked merely as a clerk for three years, I haven't the strength to truss a chicken. I wouldn't dare ruin the commanders' great undertaking."
Zheng Jiemin nodded. Zhu Shiqing's answer was decent enough, and throughout the exchange, Zheng had not lost face.
As for bringing him into the fold, Zheng Jiemin didn't care. Even if Zhu joined, he would be Kang Ze's man down the line, and whether Kang Ze would be a friend or foe in the future was hard to say. There was no need to nurse a tiger that might cause trouble later.
"You don't need to give me a hasty answer either. The door to the Fuxing Society remains open to you. If you run into trouble in the future, don't hesitate to come find us."
Zheng Jiemin thus brought this farce to a respectable close. Apart from the two young clerks carried away and the blood on the floor tiles, it was as if nothing had happened.
With that, Zheng Jiemin rose, and the men of the Fuxing Society prepared to withdraw from the residence. Before departing, Zheng Jiemin added, "I have no authority to take you away from here. All persons involved must remain to undergo the Control Yuan's investigation. Good luck."
"If you are fortunate enough to keep yourself intact, you can look for him in the future. His name is Shen Botong, a liaison officer for the Nanjing Station."
Zheng Jiemin pointed to the square-faced man, then strode off.
Zhu Shiqing was also escorted back to the county government compound. By now, only the guards dressed in khaki remained; the Fuxing Society's contingent had already dispersed.
Once the Fuxing Society was gone, the atmosphere eased considerably. Without the imminent dread of losing their lives, clerks from various sections whispered amongst themselves without interference. As Zhu Shiqing returned to the ranks, Diao Yuxiu pulled him aside:
"Brother, are you all right? Those sons of bitches devour men whole and spit out no bones!"
Zhu Shiqing paid no heed to Diao Yuxiu's words. Amid the crowd, he caught sight of Fang Wenjian leaning against the wall, propped there alone, saying nothing.
Remembering what had just happened to Zhao Qian, Zhu Shiqing felt half the blame lay with himself.
"Brother? When you went to see Old Smoker today, did he have any plan?"
Diao Yuxiu was a shrewd man. He knew that in principle, corruption cases did not require the Fuxing Society's involvement; the ones actually conducting the trial would still be the Control Yuan. Once the Fuxing Society left, he had hope of pulling strings and making a comeback from the ashes.
"Diao Yuxiu, you really are heartless and ungrateful," Zhu Shiqing said, anger flaring within him. "If you hadn't amassed wealth so brazenly on ordinary days, would the brothers of the county be suffering this disaster along with you?!"
Hearing this, Diao Yuxiu lowered his head, tears streaming down his aged face. Whether it was genuine repentance or terror at facing his end was hard to tell, but he whimpered:
"Yes, I, Diao Yuxiu, have failed our brothers! But that money wasn't taken by me alone! That bastard Xu Gang ran off the moment he got word this afternoon! I truly never imagined—that son of a bitch had fast horses ready days ago, and as soon as he saw things going south, he fled!"
Diao Yuxiu put on an aggrieved, helpless face. Only then did Zhu Shiqing realize; he looked around, and sure enough, Xu Gang was nowhere to be seen. As expected of someone who had run with Uncle... his reflexes were truly beyond reproach.
Torches had been lit outside the courtyard to provide light. Inside, several rooms were being hurriedly swept and cleaned. Two middle-aged men in formal attire were chatting nearby, clutches of dossiers tucked under their arms, barking instructions to their subordinates to pick up the pace.
"Brother, your uncle won't abandon you! You must help your elder brother here. If I get through this disaster safely, half my family fortune is yours!"
"I didn't even manage to find my uncle today!"
Zhu Shiqing was thoroughly fed up with wasting words, blurting out the lie without a second thought. Sensing it wasn't airtight, he added:
"If I had found him, why would I have come back? To be buried alive with you all?!"
Now Diao Yuxiu had no choice but to believe it. He fell completely into despair, the light in his eyes dimming. When he thought of the luxury mansion in Shanghai he had yet to enjoy, the payments from the shops on Foreign Street he had yet to collect, and the concubines at home still waiting for him to return for tender moments...
Diao Yuxiu wept tears of regret.
In less than half an hour, the hearing site was set up. The inspection team had requisitioned the county's conference hall and fitted it out into a makeshift interrogation room.
The officials of all ranks outside were now forbidden from communicating. Under the watch of the armed guards, they sat side by side on benches outside, several dozen men in a row.
None of them wanted to sit first. Though no one said it aloud, in action each yielded to the next.
The final outcome was that the inspection team ordered the county magistrate to go first.
Only then did the crowd cease their scuffling, feeling a small measure of satisfaction.
Diao Yuxiu shifted his broad backside, clutching a handkerchief given by his family, incessantly wiping the sweat from his forehead. The expression on his face stayed taut the entire time. Before his seat had even grown warm, a shout came from inside:
"Diao Yuxiu, come in!"
Diao Yuxiu shuddered all over and slowly rose. Short to begin with, he hunched his back even further. Before pushing open the conference room door, he looked back at the crowd, but unfortunately no one was in the mood to look at him.
For a long while after he entered, all was silence, until a shrill cry of "Spare my life!" burst from within, frightening the people outside so badly their hearts jumped into their throats.
He had actually shouted "Spare my life" rather than "I'm framed!" Zhu Shiqing realized that the Control Yuan had already gathered sufficient evidence. Making any arguments now was futile; what remained to be done was to shift the blame.
And so, before everyone's watchful eyes, Diao Yuxiu was hauled out of the conference room by two helmeted guards, like a piglet being dragged along while screaming hysterically.
Several more people went in after him—heads and deputies of various sections, as well as grassroots office clerks. Although all were pale as ash, there was still a difference: in a situation like this, the higher the office one held, the more likely one was to be eliminated.
"Next."
The voice called from within once more. There was no one left ahead of Zhu Shiqing; it was his turn. It went without saying that, as the key figure whose hands had touched everything, he was absolute top priority in the investigation.
Only by witnessing deceit and death, only by tasting what it was to lick blood from the edge of a blade, could true strength erupt and forge a brand-new self.
Zhu Shiqing steadied his breath, rose, and pushed open the door to enter.
Chapter 13