He Dongli was not panicked when he heard that the city government wanted to invite him. Immediately, he followed the police to the Third General Office.
Unexpectedly, what he saw was not the familiar Xie Erren, but two unfamiliar Australians. I was slightly startled.
He Dongli immediately thought that the arrival of these two strange Australians was most likely related to the recent Wuzhou riots. Since Xie Erren is not here, I am afraid that his position in Wuzhou is already unstable.
He couldn't help but become nervous. This kind of thing can easily lead to big jail terms, and the charges are often extensive. There are also many innocent people who lost their lives due to this. You have to deal with it carefully.
But it didn't look like an interrogation - at least it didn't look like an interrogation. Just like Xie Erren summoned him, he set up a seat to serve tea.
"Your Majesty, is this Mr. He Shouren?"
"That's right, student." He Dongli clasped his hands respectfully in salute.
"We are from Guangzhou. I heard that your husband is from Wuzhou, and he is familiar with the customs and customs here. I would like to have a chat with him."
"Students have lived in Wuzhou for a long time, and they do know a lot of anecdotes. Just ask the two gentlemen."
"I heard that there is a Dragon Mother Temple on the bank of Guijiang River here."
"Exactly, this temple is just outside Dayunmen. It is said to have been built during the Xianping period of the Song Dynasty. It is also the largest Dragon Mother Temple in the local area, and it is the most efficacious."
"I heard that when Elder Xie came to Wuzhou to take up his new post, he used you as a guide to visit some places of interest inside and outside the city. He also went here."
"That's exactly what happened." He Dongli's heart tightened, could it be because of that? He answered cautiously, "That day, I went to Han Gong Temple first, then to Si Xian Temple. Finally, I went to Dragon Mother Temple to offer incense."
"What happened to offering incense at the Dragon Mother Temple?"
"A woman assassinated Xie Yuan on the street in front of the temple. However, there was no danger. Xie Yuan was a lucky man and was not harmed..." He Dongli's heart sank. It was really because of this!
Although this incident did not lead to any consequences, he could see the embarrassing appearance of Xie Yuan at that time - it was considered a critical moment. What worried him most was that it was his suggestion to go to the Dragon Mother Temple to offer incense.
Fortunately, the Australian in front of me didn't ask "how to get back to Longmu Temple", but asked another question.
"Who is this woman who committed the assassination?"
"The students don't know this either. Her assassination failed and she was captured on the spot. She was a young woman wearing a white flower on her head - she must be a widow."
"What was done with her after she was captured?"
He Dongli was greatly embarrassed. Although he was not involved in Cai Lan's subsequent events, he did see Cai Lan in the courtyard once when he came to the Third General Mansion to chat with Xie Erren. Moreover, matters related to Xie Erren and Cai Lan are no secret among the retained personnel and naturalized cadres in Wuzhou. But he only heard about it.
"The student was taken to the Yamen. What happened to him later is unknown to the students."
"Is this female assassin named Cai Lan?"
"Yes..." He Dongli trembled and said involuntarily,
Ji Xin noticed his frightened expression and said warmly, "Sir, don't be nervous. This matter has nothing to do with you."
"Yes, yes, students understand."
"But sir, I must also understand that a few days ago, some remnants of usurping the Ming Dynasty made a sneak attack on Wuzhou and caused a lot of chaos. The Senate has to investigate this matter, and it must be investigated to the end. Who is guilty and who is not guilty. Let’s make it clear. I hope you, sir, will cooperate with our work and never hide anything. Sir, you can rest assured that we, the Senate, will not implicate innocent people or make false accusations.”
"It should, it should." He Dongli groaned secretly, "Students must tell everything they know."
"Where did you hear that this woman's name is Cai Lan?"
"Students didn't know it at first, but later they heard it from others."
"Who can tell me?"
"Many people in Wuzhou City know about this matter." He Dongli said with a bitter smile.
"What other rumors have you heard about Cai Lan?"
He Dongli hesitated for a moment and said: "Students have heard a lot of rumors - but they are just rumors. I don't know who is the one who said it..."
"That's what you say."
He said that after Cai Lan was captured, he has been detained in the Tutu Temple of the county government and has not been dealt with. As time passed, news came out that the elder had "adopted" her.
"As for whether this is true, the student has no solid evidence. It's just that she has been seen by many people in the Third General Mansion. It is not false."
"So, many people in Wuzhou know about Cai Lan."
"Rumors like this spread faster among the public than national events." He Dongli said with a wry smile.
"Senior Xie should have heard of it. Did he take any countermeasures or say anything?"
"Elder Xie doesn't seem to care about this."
Ji Xin nodded silently, which was consistent with what he had collected. Obviously, Xie Erren didn't think there was anything inappropriate in hiring a female assassin. If the Wuzhou riot hadn't happened, even if the Senate had intervened, it would have been nothing more than a minor romantic crime.
"Do you know anything strange about Elder Jie?"
He Dongli was a little panicked now, and his words gradually became life-threatening. He opened his mouth and said: "No more... no more..."
"Think carefully." Ji Xin said seriously, "Don't worry about anything! Telling the truth can keep your whole family safe!"
Chen Baibin was secretly surprised. Ji Xin was always pleasant when interrogating naturalized people or natives. He would sometimes analyze the pros and cons, but rarely use the safety of the other person's family to threaten the other person's mouth. Is this what happened?
He Dongli trembled and lowered his head and thought for a long time before saying: "Students and elders don't have much contact with each other. When we meet, we talk about local customs, the world and the products. There is nothing special about it. If there is anything strange, there is something strange about it. Something..."
He said that not long before the Wuzhou riots, Xie Erren sent someone to send some paintings and asked him if he was good at painting and if he could understand the meaning of the paintings.
"What painting?"
"They are all freehand flowers and birds, mainly all kinds of orchids..." He Dongli said, "To be honest, the students can make do with a few freehand landscapes, but it is really impossible to paint flowers and birds. So I refused."
Chen Baibin and Ji Xin looked at each other. It seemed that their guess was right. Before looking for Chang Qingyun to be the "gunman", Xie Erren also looked for the more reliable He Dongli, but unfortunately he didn't understand this...
It's really time and luck. Ji Xin secretly sighed.
He returned to his original friendly face and asked: "Mr. Dongli, you are a local native and have lived here for a long time. Your connections must be wider than ours. I would like to ask, what is the reputation of Mr. Xie among the people of Wuzhou?" "
He Dongli did not hesitate this time and said: "The reputation is quite good. Although the price of food in Wuzhou has soared these days and it is difficult to make a living, both the shopkeepers and the people are having a hard time. However, it is not to blame for the war. He is sheltered in this city. He went into exile and helped the poor. Under this critical situation, there was no starvation or emigration in the whole city of Wuzhou. The damaged city walls and pontoon bridges were also repaired. He can be said to be a capable official."
Ji Xin then asked some other questions, and He Dongli answered them one by one. Then let him go back.
"When you get back, sir, don't mention this conversation to anyone."
When He Dongli saw that the Australians did not ask him to paint for recording, he felt relieved and said hurriedly: "Yes, the student understands."
"It seems that Xie Erren still has some talents." Chen Baibin said.
"Indeed. But he is too insensitive." Ji Xin said, "Next, let's meet Luo Yangming."
Chen Baibin knew that Luo Yangming was regarded as the "king bomb" by Ji Xin. He was not summoned when he first arrived. Now that he is suddenly summoned, it shows that the entire Wuzhou investigation has entered the conclusion stage.
Luo Yangming was summoned to the headquarters of the Third General Office at night.
"Comrade Luo Yangming, please sit down." Chen Baibin was very polite to this subordinate, "I am Chen Baibin from the Political Security Bureau..."
"Yes, Chief!" Luo Yangming said and stood up to salute.
"Don't be like this," Chen Baibin waved his hand. "You are in hiding now, so it is not appropriate to make such a noise. Let's talk quietly. Just treat it as you reporting on the work."
"yes!"
Chen Baibin introduced Ji Xin's identity: "This is Comrade Ji Xin, the leader of the investigation team."
"Hello, Chief!"
"You don't have to be so polite." Ji Xin said casually, "You and Xiao Chen talk about work first. I'll listen from the side. If I have any questions, I'll ask you later."
Chen Baibin said: "Tell me about yourself first."
Luo Yangming knew that this was the first inspection of him by the Political Security Bureau after he transferred to a subordinate relationship. Therefore, he mustered up his energy and reported on his origin, experience, the timing of defecting to the Senate, etc. one by one. Then he reported on his journey of accepting the assignment from the Foreign Intelligence Service to Wuzhou to engage in intelligence work until the recovery of Wuzhou. It took probably more than an hour before the report was completed.
These contents were basically the same as the personal records of Luo Yangming that they had accessed before departure. Chen Baibin also asked about his work for the Political Security Bureau after the recovery of Wuzhou.
Luo Yangming knew the importance of this and did not dare to neglect it. He briefly talked about the relevant work he had done after Wuzhou was recovered, as well as the major events and public sentiment in Wuzhou.
"Now our investigation has revealed that Yi Haoran, Chang Qingyun, Cai Lan, and Jiang Qiuchan are the key figures among several important figures in the Wuzhou riot. How much do you know about these four people?"
Luo Yangming said: "I don't know the reporting leader, Chang Qingyun, and I have no contact with him. It's hard to say. Yi Haoran worked as a cashier in my shop. My personal impression is that he is a decent person, open-minded and generous in getting along with others, and lives a simple life." He is hard-working and has no bad habits. He is a humble gentleman. He is also very meticulous in his work."
"You didn't find anything suspicious about him?"
"I found it." As he said that, he told how he had suspected Yi Haoran, how he reported to Xie Erren, and how Xie Erren proposed to send a transfer letter to investigate.
