"And how did you know Sun Dayan had a nephew by a different surname?" Tang still could not accept it, his heart pounding with anxiety. How in the world had he ended up on the losing end of such a raw deal for no reason at all?
"Because you keep yourself locked away from the world all day, Old Tang. And whenever a crucial moment comes, you have to put on your pompous official airs. Doing that once or twice is one thing, but in the long run, how could you avoid running into someone tough?" Seeing Tang humbled, Nie smiled faintly and chuckled. "Actually, it wasn't entirely your fault. Just now, while you were out, that fat county magistrate was screaming and shouting, claiming he had backing in Nanjing."
"Sun Dayan?"
"That was what he claimed. But under closer questioning, it wasn't his backing at all—it was clearly this Zhu Shiqing's uncle."
Tang nodded thoughtfully as the realization dawned on him. He blurted out, "Sun Dayan was under Commander Cheng Qian back during the National Protection and Constitutional Protection campaigns. Supposedly, his unit was scattered in battle, and it wasn't until the Nationalist government moved to Nanjing that Sun Dayan was recruited back into the military. Looking at it that way, was it around that time that Sun Dayan took this boy in?"
"Most likely."
"Looks like the kid won't be an ordinary pushover in the future either. There's no telling if he might soar straight to the top one day." Tang didn't know whether to feel pleased or worried as he said this; he merely gave a couple of dry chuckles before ordering the men behind him to bring in the next person for interrogation.
In the interrogations that followed, the two commissioners adopted a very calm demeanor, no longer maliciously making things difficult. Conscientiously verifying details and using the documentary evidence as their benchmark, their investigation revealed that over half of the personnel in Jiangning County were implicated.
Among those holding official posts, more than seventy percent were involved.
Those whose crimes were established would simply be escorted back to Nanjing for trial in accordance with the law, while accomplices would be dealt with leniently; on these points, there was essentially little dispute. As for those who had known of wrongdoing without reporting it or had shielded corrupt behavior, the Control Yuan would typically impose disciplinary sanctions, and most of the grassroots clerks fell into this category.
The form their punishment took was equally straightforward: strip off their Zhongshan suits, expel them from the establishment, and banish them to military service. They would not lose their lives, but they would hardly have any bright future ahead.
In this respect, serving as an official in the Republic of China was no easy feat. When first entering the officialdom, one had to pay respects to the local powers and pull strings.
If your connections were not strong enough or you did not choose your faction wisely, you could still end up caught in internal factional struggles and become a sacrifice. Without backing, getting anything done was difficult—a truth that held in any society.
Zhao Qian, lying on the ground, was undoubtedly an epitome of those many tragedies.
Zhu Shiqing began to feel doubts.
Late in the night, exhaustion overwhelmed everyone. The drawn-out interrogations had left them completely drained. No longer minding the terror and panic, many leaned against one another and fell into a heavy sleep.
Only when the last person had been questioned did the clerk who had acted as recorder come out to call roll. Dragging the detainees roughly out of their slumbers, he lined them up into two columns in the courtyard. Outside the courtyard, two transport trucks flashed bright yellow lights, their engines humming as they waited for their designated passengers.
With a single glance, Zhu Shiqing could tell which line was for minor infractions and which was for serious crimes.
Yet from beginning to end, he never heard his own name called.
Too much had happened tonight, leaving Zhu Shiqing in a daze. Compounded by a whole day of running about, blood rushed to his head, making him groggy and on the verge of collapsing at any second. Fortunately, this did not hinder his ability to think as the roll call concluded.
Faces pale, the people were shoved and hauled up from the benches by the guards and pushed out onto the open ground. Many, still half-asleep, tumbled flat on their faces in the dirt, wailing and groaning in pain.
The two commissioners also sorted their documents and emerged from the conference room. Passing right by Zhu Shiqing, they looked toward the two indistinct lines formed in the clearing and immediately ordered a headcount, preparing to depart once everything was verified.
Zhu Shiqing was momentarily at a loss. Just as he stepped forward to ask, Commissioner Nie seemed to anticipate his move, turning back and resting a reassuring hand on him. "Little brother, my colleague and I caused you some offense today. Just go back and get a good night's sleep. When you have the chance, please send your uncle our regards."
Hearing this, Zhu Shiqing froze in place. Acting as if nothing had happened, Nie turned back to stand beside Tang, and the two looked upon the milling crowd below.
At this moment, Zhu Shiqing finally truly understood what it meant to have backing.
So having backing really meant you could do whatever you pleased!
What he had never expected was that his uncle's clout was formidable to such an extent.
"Until we meet again, brother."
The headcount complete, Tang and Nie dropped that final parting remark and prepared to set off with the vehicles.
Suddenly remembering something, Zhu Shiqing lunged forward and grabbed Commissioner Tang by the arm, startling Tang so badly that the folder in his hands clattered to the ground.
"Shiqing has a request. I beg the two commissioners to grant it."
Tang shakily picked up the folder and straightened the papers inside. He shot Nie an awkward glance before saying, "Just speak your mind."
"There is a clerk in the county named Fang Wenjian. He is my brother. You cannot take him away."
"Fang Wenjian?" Nie pondered for a moment, then called over the man who had served as recorder. "I recall the name. There is such a person. Check his file. If there are no major issues, release him."
Things having reached this point, even if there had been a major issue, it would certainly be declared none. Neither Tang nor Nie wanted to waste more effort on the matter; as long as Zhu Shiqing did not ask them to release the entire truckload of detainees, they naturally would raise no objection.
Fortunately, Fang Wenjian was a newcomer, and the classification recorded earlier was not severe. Upon receiving the order, the recorder went to the truck and "invited" Fang Wenjian back down.
The atmosphere inside the truck was suffocatingly bleak. No one spoke, and in the pitch darkness, they could not make out one another's faces. They felt only that the future held no light. The seasoned veterans knew their days were numbered, while the inexperienced youngsters were left with nothing but terror of the unknown.
"Which one is Fang Wenjian!"
The canvas flap at the back of the truck was abruptly pulled open. Fang Wenjian froze, having no idea what was happening.
"Which one is it?! Hurry up and get down! Someone wants to see you."
"I am," Fang Wenjian said, raising his hand as he squeezed his way out and hopped down.
The crowd left behind had no idea what was going on. At first, they had only known Zhu Shiqing's name wasn't called, but nobody had found that particularly surprising—in the eyes of outsiders, Zhu Shiqing's connections in the capital were hardly news.
"Drive."
The moment Fang Wenjian's feet cleared the vehicle, someone slapped the truck's side panel, and the transport truck revved its engine and rolled away.
Only then did the others realize: Fang Wenjian had fucking been "bailed out"!
A wave of grief and bitterness immediately welled up in their hearts. Why hadn't they climbed onto Zhu Shiqing's coattails earlier? Wouldn't trusting Zhu Shiqing have been a thousand times better than putting their faith in those pathetic section chiefs?
In the boundless darkness of the night, the three transport trucks gradually faded into the distance.
Fang Wenjian walked hesitantly into the county compound. The two commissioners were nowhere to be seen; only Zhu Shiqing stood there, tears in his eyes, watching him quietly.
In an instant, Fang Wenjian understood everything. He marveled at what he could have possibly done to deserve being remembered by Zhu Shiqing at such a critical juncture. Yet it was true. He could not utter a word, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
In the dark of the night, only the two of them remained, embracing and weeping together.
In a ditch beside the alley outside the compound, Zhu Shiqing found the bodies of Zhao Qian and another young boy. With their bare hands, the two dug a simple grave pit for them, then returned to scrub clean the bloodstains that had soaked into the stone pavement.
By then, dawn was already breaking.
Chapter 15