Chapter 967
A Flawless Ending
The two high-ranking officials conducting the interrogation were both astute. Although they didn't react immediately, they quickly came to a conclusion—Zhang Anping was unwilling to expose the shady dealings of the Security Bureau!
Because he was unwilling to expose this mess (the affair involving three stations and four locations), he could only answer with "due to personal motives."
As for the reasons why they are unwilling to reveal them, they can be figured out with just a little thought:
If this gets exposed, those who are already dissatisfied with the Security Bureau will definitely seize the opportunity to stir up trouble. Add to that the wiretapping scandal, and what if the Security Bureau is shut down because of it?
The high-ranking official who spoke to Zhang Anping first upon entering the room, after thinking it through, gave Zhang Anping a deep look—admittedly, Zhang Anping's act of eavesdropping on Mao Renfeng was indeed excessive, but judging from his immediate willingness to take responsibility, it was entirely certain that Zhang Anping's eavesdropping on Mao Renfeng was purely out of public interest, not political struggle.
If it were someone else, they would probably say anything to lessen their responsibility!
Anything that can lessen my responsibility!
In contrast, Zhang Anping's act of taking responsibility is truly... outstanding.
After exchanging a glance, the other official slowly said:
"Zhang Anping, you'd better think this through!"
Zhang Anping said with shame:
“Anping has failed the Party and the country in nurturing him and is willing to bear all the blame.”
Since Zhang Anping had said so, the two high-ranking officials naturally had nothing more to say. They beckoned to the stenographer to bring over the stenographic transcript. After reviewing it, the two officials stood up together, took the transcript, and walked to Zhang Anping. The second official slowly said:
"Take a look, and if you have no objections, then sign it."
Zhang Anping glanced at it, then took the pen handed to him by the official and quickly wrote down his name.
The interrogation concluded, much to the surprise of the two high-ranking officials who hadn't expected such a smooth and efficient outcome. After collecting Zhang Anping's signed statement, the first official patted Zhang Anping on the shoulder and, as he turned to leave, said to the two officers at the door:
"Go and order dinner for Deputy Director Zhang—book a meal at the Central Hotel."
After a pause, he added, "Until there are no results from above, all of Deputy Director Zhang's meals will be ordered from the Central Hotel, understand?"
The two officers at the gate must have been astonished, thinking, "This level of protocol is a bit... outrageous!"
That's the most famous Central Hotel in Nanjing.
Another high-ranking official added slowly:
"Get Deputy Director Zhang a different room."
After saying this, the two high-ranking officials left the "little dark room," while the two officers at the door entered together, their expressions obsequious.
"Commander Zhang, we're sorry to have troubled you today—would you like to come with us to the General Affairs Office so we can change rooms?"
Zhang Anping nodded slightly, but his heart was bursting with joy—everything was exactly as expected!
He was certain of one thing beforehand: the secret service's "dirty secrets" would never be leaked!
Everyone can know this, but it will absolutely not appear in any official documents!
why?
It's because he's willing to "sacrifice himself for righteousness"—to use his own life as a price to cover up this mess.
He was convinced that by doing this, he could gain the favor of many people and make the chief sergeant and the director forgive his actions from the bottom of their hearts.
Currently, the two high-ranking officials have expressed their genuine goodwill towards me through their "instructions".
Next, it's up to those two.
……
Attendant's Room.
The father and son each held a report issued by the GFB and slowly examined it.
As the investigation progressed, the section chief was naturally the first to lose his composure:
"He's...he's stupid!"
The section chief's tone was laced with anger: "Driven by personal motives? How dare he say it was driven by personal motives?! Does he really think the Party and the country can't do without him?!"
The section chief was furious because he felt that Zhang Anping's confession clearly had a hint of "arrogance" – "I did it because of my own selfish motives, do you dare to kill me?"
I'm trying to get you out of trouble, so you should at least cooperate, right? And you respond with "it was all for personal gain"?
Do you really think that just because I can't bear to lose you, I have to protect you?
But the chief attendant couldn't help but clap his hands in agreement, and then said in his Fenghua accent:
"What a selfish act!"
The director thought the chief attendant was angry, but after glancing at the chief attendant's expression, he found that he wasn't angry at all.
Am I wrong?
The chief attendant glanced at the section chief but didn't say anything—won't you take another look and think about it again?
The section chief re-examined the statement and slowly realized what had happened.
So that's what they meant... it was for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!
One wiretapping incident has already crossed the line. If the matter of three locations and four stations is exposed, even if the matter itself is fabricated, in order to deal with the Security Bureau and to dismantle the intelligence system under the Grand Chamberlain, someone will probably try to find a way to make it true. When these two things are done at the same time, the Grand Chamberlain will be in a lot of trouble to protect the Security Bureau!
With a simple phrase like "due to personal motives," one can shirk all responsibility for the consequences of the wiretapping scandal. After being punished, even if others want to make a fuss about it, they won't have the resources to do so!
After seeing the director's bewildered and complicated expression, the chief attendant slowly said, "Compared to this little guy, Mao Renfeng is far, far inferior!"
"It's a pity the little guy is still too headstrong; he needs more polishing, much more polishing!"
The section chief blushed. He had a feeling that the chief attendant was targeting him again—it wasn't just Zhang Anping who needed more polishing, but probably him as well!
Instead of continuing to "polish" the section chief, the chief aide went back on his word and said:
"Let's put this matter aside for now and see how things go. If no one is causing trouble, suspend him from his work for a while and give him a warning. If someone is causing trouble, remove him from his post first, and after a while, let the little guy quietly resume his work—the little guy's loyalty to the Party and the country is as clear as day!"
Previously, he said he would let the section chief handle the matter.
However, Zhang Anping's words, "It was due to personal reasons," delighted the chief attendant, who completely disregarded his previous words and personally brought the matter to a close.
The section chief nodded, indicating that he understood.
……
Because of the chief of staff's pressure, Zhang Anping became a guest of honor at the GFB—living in an office prepared for high-ranking officials, and apart from not being able to go out easily, his life was so carefree that it left people speechless.
I doubt anyone would believe that I was ordering takeout from the Central Hotel every day.
The wiretapping incident is currently being suppressed, but the matter concerning the Suppression Brigade must be addressed—previously, the high-ranking officials were secretly fanning the flames, waiting for things to escalate and make the section chief look bad.
But now that the chief attendant has clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with them, how could they dare to make any further moves?
Therefore, the day after Zhang Anping was stationed at the GFB, the selection of the special envoy for the investigation team was made:
General Rong!
General Rong became a special envoy and led an investigation team to three locations to investigate the matter of the Suppression Corps.
This matter was not kept from Zhang Anping, who was stationed at the GFB.
Upon hearing that General Rong had become a special envoy, Zhang Anping was only slightly surprised, but did not experience any significant emotional fluctuations. After all this commotion, no matter who this special envoy was, even if he was someone who was extremely at odds with the section chief, the outcome of the investigation was already predetermined!
The only solution is to punish both sides equally!
……
City Hall.
After get off work, Zeng Moyi and Chai Ying walked together. After Zhang Anping came to the municipal government to pick up Zeng Moyi, she was surrounded by all sorts of "best friends".
But after Zhang Anping was arrested by the GFB, all her best friends disappeared without a trace, except for Chai Ying, her staunch best friend, who always stayed by Zeng Moyi's side.
After the two left the city government building, Chai Ying quietly said to Zeng Moyi:
"These past two days, everyone's been pointing fingers at you. Can you stand it?"
Zeng Moyi shook her head and said:
"I was prepared."
"Thanks a lot."
"What hardship is this?" Zeng Moyi looked around to make sure no one was there, and said softly, "I went to see Anping yesterday. He asked me to tell you that the current situation is still within his calculations. We should not make any rash moves with the investigation team."
Chai Ying was stunned. The leader of the investigation team sent by GFB was her comrade. Shouldn't Xu Tian and Mingtai be the ones communicating with him at this time?
Seeing Chai Ying's confusion, Zeng Moyi whispered, "Anping said the investigation team will only give both sides equal blame, and then the matter will be over." Chai Ying seemed to understand, but she was always clueless about political maneuvering. However, since Zhang Anping was so certain, she naturally wouldn't cause any trouble.
Skipping over that, Chai Ying asked, "Anping... what will happen to him?"
She was aware of Zhang Anping's plan, but as the saying goes, when it comes to political calculations, she was completely clueless. Although Zhang Anping kept insisting that he would be fine, she was still worried seeing that Zhang Anping was still being controlled by the GFB.
Zeng Moyi's expression turned strange. After thinking for a moment, she said:
“In just these few days, Anping has gained at least three or four pounds…”
Chai Ying was taken aback. He'd gained weight?!
“Every meal was delivered by the Central Hotel.”
After hearing this, Chai Ying fully understood Zhang Anping's predicament and thought to herself:
Why are these reactionaries all like pawns in Anping's hands?
……
If Chai Ying doesn't move, it means the entire Second Intelligence Group won't move.
Intelligence Group No. 2 remained inactive, but Mingtai, who was on the "front line," began to panic.
Will GFB's investigation team follow the teacher's script?
The superiors instructed him not to take any unnecessary actions, but if the investigation team followed the leads...
These agonizing days lasted only one day before they came to an end—because Mingtai was then investigated.
Indeed, Mingtai, as the deputy head of the investigation team of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and representing Zhang Anping's will, was investigated by the investigation team from the GFB.
On the surface, Mingtai was furious, but secretly he was almost overjoyed.
Hey, that means the wind is blowing in our favor!
As expected, after the GFB investigation team intervened, not only was all the preliminary work of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (BIS) investigation team negated, but they also began to collect dirt on the BIS investigation team in three locations and four stations—in just a few days, they gathered a lot of dirt.
Faced with these accusations, Mingtai appeared angry, but inwardly he was both amused and exasperated.
My comrades, can you please not be so ruthless?
I...I'm not that bad, am I? Why are you all putting all this on my head?
Although he was frustrated, Mingtai knew: this matter was settled!
……
As expected, the investigation team completed its investigation in just ten days, returned to Nanjing from the three locations, and issued a highly authoritative report.
This report exposed some irregularities within the Suppression of Communist Rebellion Brigade, such as power-for-money transactions involving official positions and bribery. It also pointed out that the Suppression of Communist Rebellion Brigade deliberately exaggerated the arrests of underground Communist Party members—some innocent people who had connections with the underground Communist Party were arrested under the guise of being underground Communist Party members.
However, it also denied most of the accusations against the Suppression of Communists Brigade, such as the large-scale arrests of innocent people who had falsely claimed to be communists.
In addition, the report also included the findings of investigations into the secret service sites and party headquarters of the three locations.
In the relevant investigation results, the investigation team seriously criticized the problems within the relevant stations and party headquarters, such as negligence and dereliction of duty, and pointed out that the stations of the Bureau of Secrecy and the party headquarters of the Bureau of Communications deliberately suppressed the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade.
The report even recommended that the station and party leaders in the area involved be given warnings.
In addition to the above, there is another rather "interesting" passage in the report:
During the investigation of the Bureau of Secrecy's stations in the three locations, the investigation team dispatched by the Bureau of Secrecy's headquarters found serious instances of torture and forced confessions—several mid-level cadres within the Bureau of Secrecy's stations were subjected to extremely severe torture and forced confessions.
To summarize this report in one sentence:
Both sides deserve equal blame!
The three forces—the investigation team at the headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (led by Zhang Anping), the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' stations in the three locations, the Party headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics in the three locations, and the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade—each had various problems, and none of them were minor.
However, the problems are "significant," and they are mostly related to dereliction of duty, negligence, embezzlement, and inaction.
After the investigation team's "verification," the most crucial issue of this matter was effectively rejected.
The day after the investigation team returned to Beijing, the investigation report was distributed in full, and the Suppression Corps, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, and the Party Affairs Bureau were all reprimanded by the Adjutant's Office.
Despite being scolded, Mao Renfeng was almost overjoyed!
Well, you bastard surnamed Zhang, you were sharpening your knife and trying to kill me before, weren't you?
I let you off the hook at the crucial moment, but you insisted on walking into the line of fire. It's not my fault. Now, it's my turn to retaliate!
At this moment, Mao Renfeng was certain that his actions against Zhang Anping would not implicate the section chief. Previously, when he reported that his information had been wiretapped, he had not directly targeted Zhang Anping in order to leave some room for the section chief. But now that the matter had been settled, he was going to relentlessly pursue Zhang Anping!
If we don't remove Zhang Anping from his position as deputy director this time, what authority will Mao have left?
……
Mao Renfeng is making a scene!
His pretext for making trouble was Zhang Anping's accusations that the pillars of the Party and the State in three locations and four stations were communist sympathizers, that Zhang Anping wiretapped key Party and State officials, and that he used torture to extract confessions, as officially confirmed.
To demonstrate her resolve, Mao Renfeng adopted a do-or-die stance—if Zhang Anping, who was living a life of luxury in the GFB, was not severely punished, the country would be doomed!
Mao Renfeng wasn't stupid; she naturally understood Zhang Anping's purpose in taking full responsibility and using "selfish motives" as a cover-up.
But precisely because Zhang Anping is like this, he must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expel Zhang Anping from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics—otherwise, once the storm has passed, he, Mao, will certainly not have a good outcome.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and take advantage of the situation to finish the job.
But his outburst nearly made the section chief's nose crooked with anger.
During the investigation team's time in the three locations, those who had been making a scene before all fell silent. He had even prepared to warn Zhang Anping and then reinstate him to his original position. But at the crucial moment, the man surnamed Mao suddenly started causing trouble.
Not only did they cause a stir, but they also spread the truth about Zhang Anping using his future to cover up his actions all over the world!
You bastard Mao Renfeng, you bastard Mao Qiwu, you just wait!
The section chief gritted his teeth, but could only resign himself to changing the outcome of the punishment for Zhang Anping.
passive!
Mao Renfeng's tumultuous actions garnered support from many who were dissatisfied with the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, putting him in a very passive position. If he were to simply give Zhang Anping a warning and let it go, he would probably be drowned in a sea of criticism.
Left with no other option, he could only present the revised result:
Zhang Anping, deputy director of the State Secrecy Bureau, has been removed from his position as deputy director of the State Secrecy Bureau!
……
With the final results announced, Zhang Anping finally ended his days of "pampered living" and, on a sunny afternoon, left the GFB where he had lived for quite some time, escorted by a group of officers.
Standing outside the GFB building, basking in the sunlight, Zhang Anping, who was without official position, politely greeted the group of school officers who came to see him off, then turned and walked away to a spot not far away.
Not far away, in front of a black sedan, Zeng Moyi and Zheng Yi were smiling sweetly at him.
An unexpected combination...
Zhang Anping, who had gained at least eight pounds, remained expressionless. After nodding slightly to the two of them, he stepped into the car door that Mingtai had opened and coolly said:
"Get on the bus, let's go home."
The car started and drove away with Zhang Anping looking cool. "Casually," Zhang Anping glanced back at the GFB building, thinking to himself:
Don't rush!
Next time, I will make a triumphant return with the power to "turn the tide"!
A smile flashed across Zhang Anping's face—this ending seemed to indicate that he had lost, but had he really lost?
Next, the entire Nationalist government will suffer endless misery!
The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (BIS) will naturally not escape unscathed—it might even be in a worse situation.
But at this moment, I have successfully stayed out of it!
Old Mao, you'd better... pray for your own good fortune! (End of Chapter)