He Dongli was not panicked when he heard that the city government wanted to invite him. He immediately followed the police to the Third General Office.
Unexpectedly, what he saw was not the familiar Xie Erren, but two unfamiliar Australians. He was slightly surprised.
He Dongli immediately thought that the arrival of these two strange Australians was most likely related to the Wuzhou riots not long ago. Since Xie Erren was not here, I am afraid that his status in Wuzhou was 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 very wide-ranging. There are also many innocent people who have lost their lives because of this. He has to be careful in dealing with it.
But from the look of it, it didn't look like an interrogation - at least it didn't look like an interrogation. Just like Xie Erren summoned him, they set up a table 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 a native of Wuzhou and 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. You two gentlemen, just ask."
"I heard that there is a Dragon Mother Temple on the bank of Guijiang River here."
"Exactly, this temple is right 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 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 in and outside the city. He also visited this place."
"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, and finally to Dragon Mother Temple.
Bring incense."
"What happened to offering incense at Longmu Temple?"
"A woman assassinated Mr. Xie on the street in front of the temple. However, there was no danger. Mr. Xie 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 embarrassment of Xie Yuan at that time - it was considered a critical moment. What worried him the most was that it was his suggestion to go to Longmu 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?"
"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 once came to the Third General Mansion to chat with Xie Erren and indeed saw Cai Lan in this courtyard. Moreover, there was a lot of information about Xie Erren and Cai Erren.
Lan's matter is not a secret among the retained personnel and naturalized cadres in Wuzhou. But he only "heard about it".
"I was taken to the Yamen, and I don't know what happened to him afterwards."
"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 the tampering party made a sneak attack on Wuzhou and caused a lot of trouble. The Senate has to investigate this matter, and it must get to the bottom of it. Who is guilty and who is not guilty will be punished.
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 someone tell them."
"Who can tell me?"
"There are many people in Wuzhou City who 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, she had been detained in the Tutu Temple of the county government and had not been dealt with. As time passed, news came out that Elder Xie had "adopted" her.
"As for whether this is true, the student has no solid evidence. It is just that many people saw her staying in the Third General Office. 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 bitter smile.
"Senior Xie should have heard of it. Did he take any countermeasures or say anything?"
"Mr. Xie doesn't seem to care about this."
Ji Xin nodded silently, which was consistent with the situation he had collected. Obviously, Xie Erren did not think there was anything inappropriate in hiring a female assassin. If the Wuzhou riots hadn't happened, even if the Senate had intervened,
It's nothing more than a small romantic sin.
"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 always looked kind and cheerful when interrogating naturalized people or natives. Sometimes he would analyze the pros and cons, but rarely would he blatantly use the safety of the other person's family to blackmail the other person into talking. 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, world and 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 various kinds of orchids..." He Dongli said, "To be honest, 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. Unfortunately, he didn't understand this...
…
It was time and luck. Ji Xin secretly sighed.
He returned to his original friendly face and asked: "Mr. Dongli, you are a local aboriginal and have lived here for a long time. Your connections and information 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 no wonder that he is in chaos. He is sheltered in this city.
He went into exile and helped the poor. In such a 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 he was allowed to go back.
"After 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 by Ji Xin as the "king bomb". He was not summoned when he first arrived. Now that he was suddenly summoned, it showed that the entire Wuzhou investigation had 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 and said, "You are in hiding now, so it's not appropriate to make such a noise. Let's just talk about it quietly. Just treat it like you are reporting to work."
"yes!"
Chen Baibin introduced Ji Xin's identity again: "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 next to you. 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 was very energetic and reported his background, experience, the opportunity to defect to the Senate, etc. one by one.
Then he reported on the process of accepting the assignment from the Foreign Intelligence Service to come to Wuzhou to engage in intelligence work until the recovery of Wuzhou. It took about more than an hour to complete the report.
These contents were basically the same as the personal records of Luo Yangming that they reviewed before departure. Chen Baibin also asked about his work for the Political Security Bureau after Wuzhou was recovered.
Luo Yangming knew the importance of this and did not dare to neglect it. He briefly described the relevant work he had done after Wuzhou was recovered, the major events that occurred in Wuzhou, and the public sentiment.
"Now we have learned from the investigation that Yi Haoran, Chang Qingyun, Cai Lan, and Jiang Qiuchan are the key figures among the 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 can be called 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 this, he told how he initially suspected Yi Haoran, how he reported to Xie Erren, and how Xie Erren proposed to send a transfer letter to investigate.