Chapter 980
Plenty of alcohol available
After leaving the bureau's meeting room, Zhang Anping went straight to his office, locked the door, made himself a cup of tea, and leisurely lay down on the sofa.
After taking a satisfying sip of tea, a smile finally appeared on Zhang Anping's face.
In hindsight, many wise men would find the people involved to be hopelessly stupid.
Just like the current State Security Bureau—years later, many people will likely fiercely criticize Mao Renfeng:
The war situation is already so bad, and instead of focusing on stabilizing the internal situation and dealing with the crisis, you're still thinking about political infighting?
No, actually, it doesn't need to wait until later. Even now, as soon as the news gets out, there will probably be quite a few people criticizing Mao Renfeng for not understanding the bigger picture.
But what people often see as the "truth" is not actually the real truth.
Just like the current state of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, do you really think Mao Renfeng was stupid? Didn't he know that unity is the most important thing right now?
Do not!
Mao Renfeng knew that unity was important, but Minglou was a ticking time bomb that he had to face—exposing this matter and letting the higher-ups make a final judgment was actually the outcome that Mao Renfeng most wanted to see right now!
the reason is simple:
The same offense will not be punished twice.
If I were to expose this now, it would inevitably attract the attention of the Imperial Household Department.
Just like his previous reason for protecting Minglou, changing generals in the midst of battle is a major taboo—the Huaihai battlefield is currently in turmoil, coupled with the recent major defeat in the Northeast, the Executive Office cannot replace Mao Renfeng at this critical juncture.
After all, Mao Renfeng was a close associate!
Therefore, the most likely course of action for the Attendants' Chambers is to assign blame to both sides equally, thus bringing this matter to a definitive conclusion.
This is the ending Mao Renfeng wanted!
If the Attendant's Office intervenes and makes a final judgment, then it will be revealed later that Minglou had already colluded with the Communists. However, if the Attendant's Office does not intervene, this matter is destined to remain unresolved.
This is what Mao Renfeng truly wanted.
Of course, this will definitely further diminish Mao Renfeng's already limited goodwill with the chief attendant, but compared to the consequences of this bomb exploding later, Mao Renfeng has no other choice at the moment.
Outsiders are unaware of his schemes; all they can see is his shamelessness in not forgetting to fight among himself even in this turbulent time.
This is probably what they mean by losing face and suffering a loss in substance.
"Me..."
The smile on Zhang Anping's face slowly faded. The image of a loyal subject of the Party and the State was, in the end, so dazzling!
Zhang Anping rose from his seat, stood by the window at an angle, and gazed at the still bustling headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. After a long while, he raised his teacup, offering a gentle greeting to the distance and the scene before him, before drinking the lukewarm tea in one gulp.
almost……
……
Nanjing Railway Station at dusk.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the bustling train station, draping everyone who came or left in a golden cloak. But the people coming and going seemed unaware of the favor bestowed upon them by heaven; they simply went about their lives, going back and forth.
Here, there is no smell of gunpowder, nor any sense of urgency or fear that should accompany the tense situation—ninety-nine percent of the people, including officers and soldiers traveling at the station, are unaware of the earth-shattering events that have occurred in the distant Northeast.
At this moment, the afterglow of the setting sun seemed to transform from a golden robe into a giant, inescapable net.
It shrouds people, attempting to pull them into a long period of darkness.
Unfortunately, the sun will eventually set.
As the sun completely sets, the golden net disappears, and after the fleeting darkness vanishes, a new day will inevitably arrive.
Wearing sunglasses, Zhang Anping watched the sunset, his expression gradually tightening.
"Anping!"
A suppressed joyful voice came from behind him. Zhang Anping took off his sunglasses and quickly went to greet the person.
"You're back—I wanted to pick you up in Shanghai, but I had too much official business to attend to."
Zeng Moyi smiled and said it was nothing, then took the luggage that Zheng Yi was carrying for her. Zheng Yi instinctively resisted, but then heard Zeng Moyi say:
"Let him carry it!"
Faced with the "mistress's" slightly defiant words, she had no choice but to let go. Unexpectedly, Zeng Moyi also snatched her suitcase. Zhang Anping looked at Zeng Moyi with affection, took the two suitcases, pulled out the handles, and dragged the suitcases.
These little wheels have done a great job.
Zeng Moyi really wanted to hold onto her husband's arm and have him drag her along, but after glancing at Zheng Yi, she had to abandon the idea and instead asked Zhang Anping:
"Have Wangwang and Xixi been mischievous lately?"
"How are Dad and Mom's health?"
The two walked forward, talking. Zheng Yi followed behind them with her hands empty, like a tail. But her bright eyes proved that she was also happy at this moment.
Even if it means only being able to follow behind the two of them.
As Zheng Yi exited the station and boarded the train, he hesitated for a moment:
"Chief Qu, shall I go back by myself?"
Zhang Anping waved his hand: "Let's go together, it's not a long detour anyway."
Seeing this, Zheng Yi had no choice but to get into the passenger seat. Although she immediately switched into secretary mode and remained calm throughout, her gaze kept involuntarily drifting towards the rearview mirror.
Although Zhang Anping in the rearview mirror appeared calm and occasionally smiled as Zeng Moyi rambled on, Zheng Yi could clearly see Zhang Anping's tightly furrowed brows.
It's as if there's an unsolvable lock, the kind that can't be unlocked no matter what.
In the past, Zheng Yi would have felt heartache for Zhang Anping when he had a furrowed brow, but now, facing that furrowed brow, she had only one thought:
Have I... never actually seen the real you?
Upon arriving at the luxurious Zhang family residence, Zhang Anping refused the driver's offer to take the luggage, personally getting out of the car to retrieve Zeng Moyi's luggage from the trunk, and then said helplessly:
"I'm going to meet someone tonight, so don't prepare dinner for me."
Zeng Moyi nodded, then invited Zheng Yi:
"Zheng Yi, why don't you eat before you go back?"
"No, I need to go back and prepare. I'm officially starting work tomorrow."
"You..." Zeng Moyi said helplessly, then instructed Zhang Anping, "Take Zheng Yi home first, then you can go about your business!"
"Ah."
After nodding, Zhang Anping gestured for Zeng Moyi to hurry home. He watched his wife drag her suitcase into the house before turning around and getting into the car. His gaze swept over Zheng Yi, only to find that the other person was staring at him blankly.
Zhang Anping made a point of exchanging a glance with Zheng Yi, who hurriedly looked away.
He didn't think much of it, and simply said:
"I've been at sea for so long, and I haven't had a proper rest in Shanghai. I'll take a few days off before going back to work."
Zheng Yi did not answer, but instead said softly:
"Commander, I've heard the situation is very bad?"
Zhang Anping sighed softly, not answering Zheng Yi's question, and after a moment of silence, he said in a daze:
"When... will things be better again?"
As the car swayed, Zheng Yi turned his head back, a barely perceptible hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.
Zhang Anping's words and his current demeanor are no different from before; you can still hear his trust in me in that rhetorical question. But... is this trust?
Every time Zheng Yi was so "unguarded" in the past, it was a confirmation of his trust, because that's why he was so unguarded.
But now she understands perfectly well that there is no such thing as trust!
For some reason, she suddenly felt inexplicably depressed.
I've told myself to forget about Mingjing and forget those inappropriate speculations, but why can't I help myself?
The car was moving, but not heading straight for Zheng Yi's house. After glancing at the route, Zheng Yi knew what was going on—he was most likely going to see the section chief.
Sure enough, they went straight to the director's residence.
Upon arrival at the destination, Zhang Anping instructed the driver:
"Take Secretary Zheng back first, then find a place to eat. Come back and wait for me after you've finished eating."
"Take three days off, then come back to work."
The last sentence was addressed to Zheng Yi, but Zheng Yi shook his head:
"I've been idle for too long; if I stay idle any longer, I'll rust."
Seeing this, Zhang Anping said helplessly:
"You're just like me, a restless person—then go to work tomorrow."
Having said that, he went to meet the section chief's adjutant who was waiting for him and strode into the section chief's residence.
The car started and drove towards Zheng Yi's home in the driver's silence.
Normally, a driver is an absolute confidant and the most intimate person, but Zhang Anping is particular about his car and never uses it for non-official business. Therefore, the driver he chose was an honest and intelligent man who was accustomed to remaining silent throughout the journey and would never utter a word unless asked a question.
But Zheng Yi, who is usually taciturn even when dealing with drivers, unusually asked a question this time:
"Master Qin, what's been going on at the bureau lately?"
The driver was stunned. How could he possibly explain this?
He immediately realized that Zheng Yi was Zhang Anping's secretary, and as her secretary, she needed to understand the current situation. With that in mind, after careful consideration, he reported in a respectful tone:
"After the director went to the United States, Deputy Director Wang and Deputy Director Shen..."
The driver spoke slowly, and you could tell that every word he uttered was carefully chosen. After spending a long time recounting the events described in the secret service's script, he then began to talk about Northeast China:
"The war in Northeast China has ended. The troops at Changchun and Jinzhou stations were completely wiped out. An unexpected situation occurred at Shenyang station. Ming Lou, the former director of the Supervision Office, led his men to defect to the Communists."
"Previously, the bureau chief protected Minglou because he didn't want to replace him at the last minute. Because of this, Director Mao will hold the bureau chief accountable at today's bureau meeting..."
The driver spoke slowly, and Zheng Yi dared not let his eyes shine, so he closed them and pretended to sleep, only his fists were clenched, seemingly angry at Mao Renfeng's outrageous behavior.
But what the driver didn't know was that Zheng Yi was unconsciously replaying the driver's account of today's conflict from another perspective.
Having confirmed Ming Lou's true identity, Zheng Yi could easily understand why Mao Renfeng was so "shameless" and "outrageous," but what came to her mind was:
Mr. Qu, did you really not know that Mao Renfeng would react this way?
Admittedly, she determined the reason for Mao Renfeng's actions after seeing through Mao Renfeng's true intentions and observing his behavior. Given Zhang Anping's wisdom in placing Minglou in front of Mao Renfeng, how could he not have predicted Mao Renfeng's actions before he made his move?
Yes! Absolutely!
So, this was something that Director Qu did on purpose!
Shouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to kick Mao Renfeng to death and seize complete control of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?
But Qu Zuo actually... protected Mao Renfeng?
Why did he protect Mao Renfeng?
Zheng Yi pondered, but couldn't understand why Zhang Anping did this.
She opened her eyes in confusion, and when she saw a car driving alongside her, she was suddenly struck dumb.
保！
Zhang Anping has protected Mao Renfeng more than once or twice!
They protected Mao Renfeng and used her to drive Zheng Yaoquan away.
Later, when the Mao faction hit rock bottom, Zhang Anping made a "blunder" that allowed Mao Renfeng to turn the tide, and the Mao faction eventually regained its power.
Later, Mao Renfeng made a foolish move, but Zhang Anping did not gain any advantage, and in the end... the two were evenly matched!
And there are far too many such cases.
Control... the cards!
The two words involuntarily surfaced in Zheng Yi's mind: Zhang Anping was controlling the game, he was maintaining control of the evenly matched situation.
Is it really... a close match?
After several upheavals, many members and key figures of the Mao faction have achieved rapid promotions after boarding the Mao faction's ship. With Ming Lou as an undercover agent in the Mao faction, are the current members and key figures of the Mao faction truly all... loyal subjects of the Party and the State?
Looking back now, Wang Tianfeng was absolutely not talking nonsense about the three locations and four stations. If there were Minglou and the leaders of the three locations and four stations who were in cahoots with the Communists, then what about the other Maoist members?
Thinking about it this way...
Zheng Yi forced herself to close her eyes, afraid that if she kept them open, the driver would see the light in them.
The entire Security Bureau is actually... completely controlled by the Chief!
The so-called Mao faction, the so-called Director Mao Renfeng, are actually... just pawns in the hands of the regional head, monkeys in the Five Elements Mountain?
Zheng Yi was shocked and remained so for a long time.
Qu Zuo, what kind of person are you really?
The Secret Service, this sword in the hands of the chief aide, you actually managed to take complete control of it without a sound!
……
At this moment, the sword spirit met the next master of swords.
In plain terms, Zhang Anping met a section chief who, like him, exuded a sense of powerlessness.
Some time ago, the director was initially shuttling between Nanjing and Shanghai, but later he devoted all his energy to Shanghai.
To be honest, the section chief during that period was actually harboring a lot of resentment:
I had indeed suffered repeated defeats before, but this time was different!
Price controls are a matter of life and death for the Party and the nation, and the Chief of Staff will absolutely not go back on his word!
With a 10,000-strong anti-rebellion brigade under my command, the full support of the Shanghai station of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, and the support of the entire Party and the State behind me—two kings, four foreign experts, and four elite A-level players, plus a top straight and a pair, how could I possibly lose?
This time, you will all have to sit and listen to what I have to say!
Then, his two kings mysteriously disappeared, and the four twos turned into four threes...
They lost miserably!
After returning from Shanghai, the section chief slept for three days. Even though he seems to have recovered now, he still exudes a sense of listlessness and exhaustion.
He said lazily to Zhang Anping, "Anping, you're here...you...you..."
When he saw that Zhang Anping looked just as weak and tired as he did, he was suddenly taken aback.
I feel powerless, my reputation is ruined, I have lost all my prestige, and I am desperate and exhausted after being isolated. But how come Zhang Anping has the same feeling as me?
Faced with the section chief's state, Zhang Anping was clearly stunned. After a silence of about half a minute, he seemed to finally understand why the section chief was in such a state. Without waiting for the section chief's invitation, he plopped down on the sofa as if he had no support and sank into it.
Although the section chief didn't understand why Zhang Anping was acting this way, he clearly felt a sense of empathy. He gently patted Zhang Anping without saying a word.
Zhang Anping suddenly asked, "Do you have any wine?"
The section chief's eyes suddenly lit up: "Alcohol...drink as much as you want today?!"
He and Zhang Anping had never drunk alcohol—they had eaten together many times, but Zhang Anping always refused to drink. Later, he recounted how he pretended to be drunk while he was undercover in Shanghai, saying that he had a kind of reverence for alcohol and was afraid of saying the wrong word after drinking.
Zhang Anping answered with a single word: "Drink!"
"it is good!"
The section chief turned to his adjutant and said:
"Bring the wine!" (End of Chapter)