Chapter 1066
As expected of him!
Qiu Ning didn't know what Mao Renfeng wanted him to do, so he immediately put on a listening posture.
Mao Renfeng was very satisfied with Qiu Ning's consistently respectful attitude and said:
"At the latest, by the third day of the Lunar New Year—before the fourth day—you must execute all the core members of the underground Communist Party imprisoned in Nanjing!"
Qiu Ning felt as if a tsunami was raging within him. Suppressing his fear, he asked in bewilderment:
"Director, isn't this... a bit too hasty?"
Mao Renfeng nodded slightly: "We were a bit hasty. But there's no other way. After the New Year, the Imperial Household Department will send an official document requiring us to release the arrested underground party members. I have already reached a consensus with the director on this matter. We can let the minor ones go, but the 'major' ones must be killed!"
"We absolutely cannot let the tiger return to the mountain, do you understand what I mean?"
Qiu Ning nodded solemnly and assured him, "Please rest assured, Director, I will handle this matter properly."
“I certainly trust your abilities—but you can’t just focus on Nanjing. After the execution, you must travel to various places to inspect and carry out this spirit. Do you understand what I mean?”
Clearly, Mao Renfeng not only intended to execute core members of the underground Communist Party within the Nanjing prison system, but also to carry out similar massacres in the existing Kuomintang-controlled areas.
Qiu Ning understood and replied, "Your subordinate understands."
Mao Renfeng gestured for Qiu Ning to wait a moment, then got up and took a document from the safe, handing it to Qiu Ning:
"Besides the execution, you should also pay attention to this matter."
Qiu Ning took the book and began to peruse it. While inwardly calling it ruthless, he outwardly praised it:
"Brilliant! That was a brilliant move by the Director!"
The document has only one theme: how to exploit the released underground party members.
There are two main points here—the same two suggestions that Zhang Anping made when facing the section chief, but now they have become Mao Renfeng's doing.
Because he used written materials to write down these two suggestions as standard guiding principles!
Qiu Ning was unaware that this was Zhang Anping's suggestion. Since it was Mao Renfeng's writing, he naturally followed suit and began to flatter Mao Renfeng.
Mao Renfeng readily accepted Qiu Ning's flattery and instructed him, "You must take this matter seriously and handle it well, understand?"
Qiu Ning stood with his legs together and replied solemnly, "Please rest assured, Director, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
After leaving Mao Renfeng's house, Qiu Ning went to find Chai Ying with lightning speed.
Upon seeing Chai Ying, Qiu Ning exclaimed urgently, "Comrade Chai Ying, something has happened!"
Chai Ying naturally knew why Qiu Ning was in such a hurry, but she still pretended to be puzzled: "What is it?"
"Look at this—"
Qiu Ning handed Chai Ying the materials written by Mao Renfeng himself, and while Chai Ying was reading them, he specifically mentioned the background.
He was afraid that Chai Ying wouldn't understand, so he explained the intricacies of the situation in detail.
After explaining the background, he added:
"In addition, Mao Renfeng ordered me to identify our party comrades within the secret service prison system, intending to select key personnel from among them for execution!"
With a discerning eye, Chai Ying asked, "Comrade Qiu Ning, do you have any ideas on how to break this deadlock?"
Qiu Ning had been pondering ways to break the deadlock on her way here, and immediately replied when Chai Ying asked:
"I think we can take advantage of their internal conflicts and get the Generalissimo's Office involved! I'll try to stall for time first, and then use public opinion to expose the Kuomintang's two-faced behavior, forcing the Generalissimo's Office to intervene. What do you think?"
Clearly, his approach to breaking the deadlock is the same as Zhang Anping's.
Chai Ying nodded: "Use the power of public opinion to put the Attendant's Mansion in a difficult position, and then they will have no choice but to intervene—if they don't intervene, their so-called sincerity will be greatly diminished!"
“I’ll take care of the public opinion, but—” Chai Ying said solemnly, “You need to be prepared to evacuate. This matter is quite complicated to handle and could easily implicate you. Don’t be reckless at crucial moments. Once you receive the evacuation signal, retreat immediately, understand?”
After thinking for a moment, Qiu Ning said, "I think if things are handled properly, it may not implicate me. After all, Mao Renfeng trusts me a lot."
Don't forget Zhang Anping!
Upon hearing this name, Qiu Ning's expression turned solemn: "I understand!"
After finishing this matter, Qiu Ning then reported on the matter concerning Zhao Weiheng.
This task was originally assigned to him by Chai Ying, and now that he has received authorization from Mao Renfeng, he naturally needs to consult Chai Ying.
Chai Ying believes that since Wang Tianfeng's death, Zhao Weiheng has become nothing more than a clown, someone who can be easily crushed.
However, Zhang Anping believed that they should not be careless.
The price of not being careless is that "Qingsong" Su Mosheng must be evacuated "urgently".
"Go and arrest Zhao Weiheng yourself. If he provides any leads about our Party comrades, arrest him immediately!"
"Take them away?"
"Don't worry, that comrade will leave in time."
"I understand—what about that spy from the Party's intelligence bureau?"
"Other comrades will step in."
"Yes!"
……
Wang Tianfeng is dead, but news of his death has not been spread.
Zhao Weiheng was still unaware of Wang Tianfeng's death. He was still secretly sending people to keep an eye on Su Mosheng while keeping himself in prison, fighting Yuan Nong to the death, based on the information provided by Wang Tianfeng.
Tiger Bridge Prison, interrogation room.
Looking at Yuan Nong, who had been tormented, Zhao Weiheng felt a deep sense of defeat.
It's been two days!
It's been a full forty-eight hours since the afternoon before yesterday, but the person in front of me hasn't said a single word!
What Zhao Weiheng really wanted was just one sentence:
Su Mosheng is like a pine tree!
Yuan Nong once said this.
Zhao Weiheng wanted Yuan Nong to repeat what he had said before.
However, it's as difficult as climbing to heaven!
For a full forty-eight hours, every move they could muster, Yuan Nong screamed in agony but never pointed out a single fault.
"If all else fails, I'll just take Su Mosheng down with me!"
Zhao Weiheng thought dejectedly: I don't believe Su Mosheng can be as stubborn as this Communist in front of me!
Just as Zhao Weiheng was weighing his options, the door to the interrogation room suddenly opened, and Qiu Ning, with a gloomy face, walked in with several of his men.
Qiu Ning's gaze swept over Yuan Nong, paused briefly, and then his cold eyes fell on Zhao Weiheng.
Zhao Weiheng's mind was in a daze. He stood up involuntarily and said, "Director Qiu."
Qiu Ning gave a forced smile: "Section Chief Zhao, do you have some intelligence?"
"If you have any, why not share them with Mr. Qiu?"
Cold sweat instantly covered Zhao Weiheng's forehead.
After Mao Renfeng used the imperial edict to purge the headquarters, Qiu Ning naturally became the director of the Operations Department.
As the head of the action department, Qiu Ning saw his actions as an attempt to take his place.
He stammered his excuse: "Director Qiu, it's a misunderstanding, there's something going on here..."
Is it a misunderstanding?
After repeating the statement with a forced smile, Qiu Ning's expression suddenly changed, and he coldly rebuked, "Zhao Weiheng! You are the head of the Confidential Section of the Secretariat, not someone from the Action Department or the Intelligence Department—you have Communist Party intelligence in your possession, but instead of reporting it to the Action Department or the Intelligence Department as required by regulations, you have taken matters into your own hands and conducted an unauthorized interrogation!"
"What exactly do you want?!"
"Take him down—come with me to see the Director!"
Zhao Weiheng was so frightened that his face turned pale. Everyone knew that Qiu Ning was currently Mao Renfeng's favorite. If he were caught and brought before Mao Renfeng, Mao Renfeng would definitely not favor him, a mere section chief, in a situation where he had to choose between the two.
After a moment's hesitation, he shouted, "Director Qiu, Su Mosheng, a senior advisor to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, is a member of the underground Communist Party!"
Qiu Ning was startled, but asked with surprise and doubt, "Hmm?"
“Absolutely true! As long as we get this person to talk, we can…”
Qiu Ning interrupted him:
"Are your intelligence sources reliable?"
Zhao Weiheng nodded repeatedly: "Reliable! Reliable! Absolutely reliable!"
Qiu Ning angrily rebuked, "Foolish! Since they're reliable, arrest them first! Call the brothers on duty and immediately go to the Ministry of Economic Affairs to retrieve their information..."
"Director Qiu, I know where Su Mosheng lives. I have already secretly sent people to monitor him."
Qiu Ning was not pleased but angry upon hearing this: "You bastard!"
"absurd!"
"If your unauthorized actions alert the enemy..." he said coldly, "I will skin you alive!"
"Take me to arrest him immediately!" Qiu Ning signaled his men to take Zhao Weiheng away. Before leaving the interrogation room, he glanced at Yuan Nong silently, filled with respect for his comrade-in-arms.
Residential area for high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
When Qiu Ning met the agent responsible for monitoring Su Mosheng, he gave him a forced, amused smile.
The spy was terrified.
He was a member of the Operations Department. Because he wanted to curry favor with Zhao Weiheng, he led a few brothers to do Zhao Weiheng's dirty work. As a result, they were caught red-handed by the big boss of the Operations Department.
This is truly... a complete disaster!
The agent approached Qiu Ning nervously: "Chief."
After saying "good" three times, Qiu Ning asked, "Are you sure the person is still there?"
The agent replied, "When officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs came to pay their respects for the New Year, Su Mosheng personally opened the door for them."
"Arrest them immediately—you, leading the team, are you sure you're okay with that?"
The agent immediately agreed, knowing full well that this was an opportunity to redeem himself, and naturally he would not refuse.
But what happened next plunged the agents into despair.
Disguised as an official from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, he came to pay a New Year's visit, but the Su family did not respond after he knocked on the door!
Seeing this, Qiu Ning, who was hiding behind, immediately shouted, "Break down the door, you idiot!"
The agents then broke down the door, but once inside, they found the huge Su family home completely empty, except for an open window that seemed to be telling a story.
It was obvious that Su Mosheng had already run out the window.
"They ran away?" Upon learning the result, Qiu Ning glared angrily at the bewildered Zhao Weiheng: "What a mess you've made!"
"Zhao Weiheng, this matter... is not over!"
……
Lin Tao, who was on her way back to her parents' home by car, was now facing a flurry of alarms.
This is not the way home!
She quietly observed the two secret service agents who were escorting her home, and finally noticed the subtle exchange of glances between them.
hiss--
Lin Tao gasped inwardly, feeling utterly dejected.
Zhao Weiheng usually talks a good game but doesn't act as well as he can, but I never expected him to be so ruthless when it comes to taking action!
O man!
She sighed silently to herself, and subtly touched her handbag, feeling the coolness of the "little thing," which calmed her down considerably.
When the car reached a secluded area, the agent in the passenger seat said, "Sister-in-law, shall we take a short break?"
Lin Tao nodded upon hearing this: "I just need to use the restroom."
"I'll open the door for you."
The agent got out of the car as he spoke, and then opened the back door—his other hand was already gripping a gleaming dagger.
Lin Tao seemed oblivious to the spy's subtle movements, and got out of the car with her usual slightly affected manner. But the moment she stepped out, Lin Tao cried out in pain, as if she had twisted her ankle, and lunged at the spy. The spy was overjoyed and gripped the dagger tightly, intending to stab Lin Tao.
But then a cold glint flashed before his eyes and disappeared.
Immediately afterwards, a line of blood appeared on the agent's neck. The agent covered his neck in shock, staring at Lin Tao in disbelief. Only after his gaze slid down did he see the source of the cold light.
It was a razor used for shaving!
razor!
The agent then remembered Lin Tao's code name, but it was too late!
At that moment, Lin Tao smashed the car window with her elbow without hesitation. Then, she threw the razor in her hand like a flying knife. Before the agent sitting in the driver's seat could react, the razor pierced his throat.
He clutched his throat, his eyes filled with disbelief, just like his companion's.
They were both killed by a woman!
After snatching the dagger, Lin Tao disgustedly pushed the still convulsing corpse aside, then kicked it hard before walking around to the driver's seat. She then stabbed the corpse twice with the dagger before opening the car door, pulling out a razor, and laboriously dragging the body out.
She planned to go directly back to the Party's Information Bureau.
Just as she got into the car, a voice came from behind her:
"Don't move!"
Lin Tao was shocked. How many people did the Secret Service have to send to deal with a woman like her?
She slowly turned around, only to be met with an extremely unexpected face.
Ming...tai!
Mingtai, the younger brother of Minglou, the "traitor" of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!
At this moment, Mingtai was dressed in extremely simple clothes, showing no trace of the former third young master of the Ming family. Behind him were several men carrying Type 38 rifles, some of whom were wearing Eighth Route Army hats, but not military uniforms.
The CCP's... guerrilla forces?!
At this moment, Mingtai approached with his gun, carefully removed the razor from Lin Tao's hand, and praised:
"The name 'Razor' is well-deserved!"
Lin Tao looked at Mingtai dejectedly:
"I never expected it to fall into your hands."
"I was quite surprised to find Shi Yimei's most outstanding student here!"
Upon hearing the name Shi Yimei, Lin Tao couldn't help but show hatred. If Shi Yimei hadn't become a traitor, how could she have ended up as a female agent carrying out seduction?
Mingtai tied Lin Tao's hands together. Seeing Lin Tao's death-seeking expression, he said speechlessly:
"Stop putting on that act! You call yourself a spy for the Party's intelligence bureau? Don't you know we treat prisoners of war well? Let's go!"
Lin Tao stared blankly into the distance, unsure of what the future held.
What she didn't know was that she was actually lucky—after being arrested by Mingtai, although she briefly lost her freedom, she was completely freed from the Party's control after regaining it.
Instead of ending up disfigured and committing suicide like in the original timeline.
……
As expected, Zhao Weiheng was taken down.
Despite his repeated cries of innocence and claims that he had dealt with "Razor," a spy from the Party's intelligence bureau, Qiu Ning, faced with the fact that Lin Tao had disappeared, naturally did not hesitate to deliver the final blow:
Zhao Weiheng is suspected of secretly sending "Razor" away!
When the report was handed to Mao Renfeng, Mao Renfeng was almost furious.
A senior advisor to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, a high-ranking undercover agent, escaped right under their noses because of Zhao Weiheng's own actions!
Zhao Weiheng, that scoundrel, not only colluded with the Party's intelligence bureau, but also maintained close ties with Wang Tianfeng—he was practically dancing on his own red line.
"Add his name to the list!"
Mao Renfeng gritted her teeth and instructed Qiu Ning: "This bastard, just deal with him as a Communist!"
"Yes!"
After casually deciding Zhao Weiheng's fate, Mao Renfeng looked at the case file and suddenly burst out laughing.
Ye Xiufeng, Ye Xiufeng, I heard you really enjoy watching plays?
But now, you're seeing yourself reflected in this drama. I wonder how you feel about that?
Mao Renfeng found it amusing. Back then, Xu Enzeng's secretary was a Communist Party mole, but after Ye Xiufeng took over, things weren't much better—his trusted classmates and friends were also underground Communist Party members!
This time, your party's communications bureau will probably have to bleed a lot!
Qiu Ning glanced at Mao Renfeng secretly and felt that Mao Renfeng's smile was like a mythical creature that only gives out and never takes in.
……
Tiger Bridge Prison.
After being carried into the cell, Yuan Nong finally couldn't help but let out a few suppressed groans.
Despite the excruciating physical pain, he couldn't help but think about something else:
Nothing here can escape his eyes!
Green pine...
He'll be alright!
Even though he thought this way, he still couldn't help but worry that if he implicated Qingsong, he would be beyond redemption even if he died a hundred times over!
Just as he was feeling anxious, there was a strange noise coming from the door of the cell next door. Yuan Nong struggled to look over and saw the prisoner being shoved in. He couldn't help but laugh.
It turns out to be...
Zhao Weiheng!
The spy who interrogated him for two days has suddenly become a prisoner himself, and a "serious criminal" just like him!
It must have been him!
At this moment, all of Yuan Nong's worries disappeared, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
Sure enough, nothing here could escape his eyes.
Not only did he not avoid it, but he also did something that turned the spy who had previously been swaggering in front of him into a prisoner in an instant.
As expected of him! (End of Chapter)