Chapter 558 French Concession Political Office
“Where are they?” Cheng Qianfan asked casually.
The snow stopped and melted.
The weather is getting colder.
He was holding a copper soup pot in his hand. It was smooth, round, small and delicate. He poured hot water and held it in his hand, which made his whole body feel warm.
Yubazi are all handmade, and the sealing and firmness are very particular. There are dozens of processes in total from pouring the blank to welding and polishing. The Yubazi made of copper water is hard, very durable and requires exquisite skills.
The Tangbaozi in the hands of Inspector Cheng is extremely exquisite. It was one of the gifts given to him by a friend who flew here and there. It was actually a pair of Tangbaozi, one for him and Bai Ruolan.
It is said to be an ancestral heirloom from a wealthy family of a certain heir to poetry and painting.
At the current market price, even with Inspector Xiao Cheng’s salary of 150 yuan per month, it would take half a year without food or water to afford this pair of soup ladies. (PS2)
…
“According to the predetermined plan, it was arranged at the No. 3 stronghold.” Li Hao said.
Cheng Qianfan nodded, turned over his right hand, placed the back of his right hand on Mrs. Tang to warm it, and squinted his eyes comfortably.
Stronghold No. 3 is an ordinary building located north of Trast Road and south of Yongjia Road in the French Concession.
This is a haunted house.
In the 23rd year of the Republic of China, a shooting case occurred in this house.
The press reported it extensively at the time.
"Jingbao" even gave a vivid description:
The tenant is a man surnamed Liu, who is about forty years old and quite amiable.
On this day, he was sitting on a wicker chair translating and writing Russian books.
There was a man who looked like a bodyguard, sitting on a lounge chair near the door, basking in the sun comfortably.
At that time, a young man dressed like a waiter in a Western restaurant came to the door and pretended to deliver food. While talking, he suddenly approached and silently cut the bodyguard's throat with a razor blade.
Then he broke into the room and shot the man surnamed Liu with a Browning rifle. All three shots hit his head. The man died on the spot.
Afterwards, this person calmly deceived another bodyguard who had returned from an outing to enter, killed him with a dagger, and walked away.
The forensic investigation team studied the letters found in the deceased's room and found out that the deceased was a member of the Red Party's "anyway", and determined that the person who carried out the attack was a member of the Red Party's Special Section and Red Team.
Three men died in one house, and all of them died in tragic circumstances.
This house has become a well-known haunted house in Shanghai.
House prices continue to fall.
Later on, the owner quietly sold the house. After that, it seems that it changed hands several times, and now it is rented by the owner to families who have a tight budget, but cannot live in a pavilion and cannot bear the suffering.
These people are very courageous and are not afraid of dangerous houses. They are afraid of poor housing and losing face.
Although it has been four years, the surrounding residents are still quite wary and will try to avoid this place when walking at night.
For the spy organization, such a house is indeed more suitable as a base of operations or a safe house.
…
“Didn’t it attract the attention of the neighbors?” Cheng Qianfan asked.
"No, after the Liu Gang Oyster case, everyone said that the house was haunted and full of evil spirits. Even in broad daylight, if there is nothing urgent, try to go around it as much as possible." Li Hao said.
The three-murder case in one house was named the "Liu Gang Oyster Case" by "Jing Bao", which started out as a rosy news outlet, because the tenant's surname was Liu, and it was said that this man ate three oysters a day and played music every night, so it was named Its name is Liu Gang Oyster.
Cheng Qianfan nodded and rubbed Mrs. Tang with both hands.
The case of Liu Gang was recorded in the internal files of the Central Special Branch as "Eradicating the traitor Liu Mouzhen 1219 Jiachen".
Liu Mouzhen is the name of a traitor.
1219 is the date of action.
A, Grade A archive.
Chen means Chenzhou.
Cheng Qianfan asked a few more questions and then said nothing more. The young Taoist was cautious and alert, so he felt more at ease.
…
“Is there anything new happening over there at Lou Lianxiang?” Cheng Qianfan asked.
"No." Li Hao shook his head, "Lou Lianxiang has been staying in the apartment on Father Jin Road and has not gone out, but..."
“But what?”
“The little monkey went to see Ajuan, the maid from Lou Lianxiang.” Li Hao said with a smile, “He invited Ajuan to eat live beads, but Ajuan didn’t like eating them.”
Hearing this, Cheng Qianfan smiled and shook his head.
Hou Pingliang is from Nanjing. He has been fond of eating live beads since he was a child. This is his favorite thing to share with Ajuan. Unfortunately, Ajuan does not seem to appreciate it.
“Is there any trace of Ruan Zhiyuan?” Cheng Qianfan asked.
“No, except for the little monkey who called Ajuan out, no one else went to Lou Lianxiang’s apartment,” Li Hao said.
“Does Lou Lianxiang behave in any special way?” Cheng Qianfan thought for a while and asked.
"There is no strange behavior." Li Hao said, but when he said this, he seemed a little hesitant.
…
“What’s wrong?” Cheng Qianfan asked.
"There is one place where I am not sure whether it is a strange behavior." Li Hao said, "Just this morning, Lou Lianxiang asked Ajuan to go out and buy some newspapers."
As he spoke, he scratched his head and said, "Brother Fan, because we don't know much about Lou Lianxiang's living habits, it's not clear yet whether Lou Lianxiang buying newspapers is a normal living habit or an unusual and strange behavior."
Cheng Qianfan frowned slightly, then nodded.
Haozi is right.
It is indeed difficult to say whether there is any problem just relying on Lou Lianxiang to arrange for Ajuan to sell newspapers.
There are very few women who read newspapers. However, it is possible that Lou Lianxiang can read and write and is a singer in a cabaret restaurant. She is influenced by Western culture and likes to read newspapers during breakfast.
However, Cheng Qianfan vaguely remembered that Hou Pingliang once mentioned that Lou Lianxiang liked to sleep in.
It is a bit strange to ask Ajuan to come out to buy newspapers so early this time.
"Pay attention to the garbage thrown out of Lou Lianxiang's home." Cheng Qianfan said in a deep voice, "Especially these newspapers. Whenever Lou Lianxiang's home is discarded, you must find them and compare them carefully to see if there are any abnormalities."
“Understood.” Li Hao nodded, “Brother Fan, don’t worry, there won’t be a single piece of paper missing from Lou Lianxiang’s house.”
…
No. 22, Xue Huali Road, Central Patrol Room.
As soon as Cheng Qianfan's car arrived at the patrol house, he saw the yard and the busy entrance to the patrol hall.
“Inspector Zhao, Brother Yuan, what happened?” Cheng Qianfan stuck his head out of the back seat of the car and asked.
“Something happened on West Elham Street.” Yuan Kaizhou said in a low voice with a sullen face, “There was a murder at Marshal Hao’s house, and shots were fired.”
"Who did it?" Cheng Qianfan's face changed slightly, "Isn't it Jiang Mulezi again?"
Yuan Kaizhou frowned slightly, then rolled his eyes and said, "I can't tell, let's go to the scene and see first."
He had not originally thought about Jiang Mulezi, but Cheng Qianfan's words reminded him that if the case was in danger or could not be found out, it was Jiang Mulezi who did it.
As a man who has contracted many vicious cases in Shanghai, Jiang Mulezi is qualified to take on this major and important case.
Shu Li Zhao also smiled and nodded to Inspector Xiao Cheng, and led the team away.
…
Cheng Qianfan was lost in thought.
Hao Dashuai is everyone’s secret nickname.
This man is an old-school warlord from Beiyang and one of the fierce generals under the direct warlord Sun Chuanfang. Although he has already left the countryside and became an apartment house, he still has some influence in Shanghai.
In addition, there is an extremely critical point. The case occurred in the Hao Mansion on West Ehams Road. This street is full of celebrities, and murder cases have a bad impact.
In the French Concession, there are several streets that are key protection areas for patrol houses.
The concession authorities have classified these key protected areas as Grade A residential areas and Grade B residential areas.
Especially within the jurisdiction of Fuxi, there are many Grade A and Grade B residential areas, and most of the residences of prominent members of the Kuomintang are concentrated here.
Among them, No. 9, Jialaihai Road, is the Chang Kaishen Mansion.
No. 110 Qiqi Road is Mrs. Chang’s private residence.
No. 145 Qiqi Road is the residence of Song Guojiu.
No. 381-383 West Aixam Road is the residence of President Kong.
There is Wang Reclamation Mansion on Lado Road and Fulili Road.
No. 10 Baojian Road is the Chen Qun Mansion and so on.
Every time a shooting or homicide occurs in these Class A and Class B residential areas, it will cause shock to the patrol house and even the concession authorities.
…
One day in the early summer of the 23rd year of the Republic of China, around the time of breakfast in the morning, the Political Office of the French Concession Police Station received a report from the agent on duty at the Kong Mansion on West Ehams Road: gunshots were heard from the Kong Mansion, followed by a gunshot. A car transported an injured person away.
Subsequently, the Political Office called Kong Mansion back to inquire further, but Kong Mansion ignored him.
So the General Bureau of Patrol and Housing sent Xi Neng, the squad leader of the Political Division, and Xiu Gongshen, the translator, to lead a team to the Kong Mansion to investigate.
However, Kong Lingkan, the dean of Confucius and his son, led people to guard the gate and did not let people from the Political Department enter.
Subsequently, Xiu Gongshen asked the five uniformed police officers on duty outside the door and learned that the driver of the car that was being transported out of the Kong Mansion had been shot to death.
Since it was a matter of human life, Xiu Gongshen immediately called the Patrol Bureau to request instructions and report.
The General Bureau of Patrol Housing immediately sent two armored vehicles and more than 30 patrol reinforcements to surround the Kong Mansion.
Xiu Gongshen sounded stern and asked Kong Lingkan to open the door within ten minutes. He also issued a formal notice warning Kong Lingkan: "It is related to a legal murder case. If you do not comply, you will use force to enter. You will be responsible for all consequences."
In this way, Kong Lingkan had no choice but to open the door.
After investigation, it was found that the deceased was the driver of Kong Mansion’s car, and the murderer was the young bodyguard of Kong Mansion. The two were suspected of having an affair with Miss Kong Er.
The two started fighting out of jealousy, and the bodyguard killed the driver with a pistol. At this time, the body had been secretly transported to the Kong family villa.
Xiu Gongshen led the team and seized warheads, pistols and other physical evidence at the scene, and forced the bodyguards of Kong Mansion to sign and stamp it as evidence.
He then personally led a team to the suburban villa of Kong’s family on Hongqiao Road, took photos of the body and the blood-stained car, and then transported the body to the Talast Road Police Hospital’s cold storage to await forensic examination.
A few days later, President Kong sent a trusted secretary of the Central Bank to negotiate with the French Concession authorities to settle the case. At this time, Xiu Gongshen decisively came forward to help both parties find a way to resolve the matter:
To save the face of the Kong family, the patrol office did not announce the situation.
The family members of the deceased were compensated by the Kong family, which amounted to about 25,000 silver dollars.
The murderer was dealt with by the Shanghai Second Special Administrative Region Court. He was found guilty of negligent death and sentenced to five years in prison.
It was precisely this incident that made Xi Neng, the leader of the investigation team of the Political Department, as well as senior officials of the Political Department of the French Concession, and even senior officials of the French Concession realize and recognize Xiu Gongshen’s ability:
In the early days, this person was neither humble nor arrogant in the face of important officials of the National Government. He always put the laws and interests of the concession first, which made the rebellious young master of the Confucius family have to bow his head.
And he is cautious and methodical in doing things. He has laws to follow and must follow the laws, making it difficult for people to find fault.
In the later stage, Xiu Gongshen is flexible in dealing with matters and works from both ends, so that both parties can solve the problem satisfactorily.
To be precise, all three parties were very satisfied, and the family members of the deceased were also secretly grateful, saying that Xiu’s translator helped the deceased seek justice.
Xiu Gongshen later specifically told Cheng Qianfan about this matter, not only because the elders wanted to show off to the younger generation, but also because the matter was actually extremely difficult to handle. However, Xiu Gongshen himself handled it extremely well, even to the point of being Called perfect.
He almost offended the Confucian master, but it is said that the rebellious Confucian master later gave a thumbs up and praised the work of the Translation Association.
It is said that Dean Kong personally called Xiu Gongshen to express his condolences.
The French Concession authorities were very satisfied with the handling of this matter. They believed that Xiu Gongshen had good abilities and had many connections in the national government, and they highly recognized him.
Xiu Gongshen used his best work to teach Cheng Qianfan that if you want to gain a foothold in the French Concession and Shanghai, you must be able to use your brain and deal with things flexibly, but at the same time, you must firm up one principle. No matter which side you prefer, you will always be You must abide by the principles and never make people think that you are sitting on the fence. This is a principle that is flexible but does not lose the bottom line.
…
Cheng Qianfan stood next to the car. He lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then held the cigarette in his mouth. He held Tang Pozi in his hand and pretended to be interested in watching the people cleaning the snow in the yard.
About a few minutes later, Zhou Ru passed by the door of the patrol room carrying a small Kun bag.
Cheng Qianfan noticed that Zhou Ru's satchel was on her right shoulder today.
This is a signal that the Chongqing government has secretly contacted the French Concession authorities and the Political Office to start rescuing Zheng Weilong.
He spit out the cigarette in his mouth on the ground, held Tang Pozi in his hands, and entered the arresting hall after greeting everyone with compliments and chats from the police officers.
“Little monkey, go and change the boiled water for me.” Cheng Qianfan handed Mrs. Tang to Hou Pingliang.
“Be careful, little monkey, you can’t afford to pay for it if it’s damaged.” Lu Jiufan joked.
The little monkey chuckled, but he didn't dare to be careless and took it carefully. It is said that this Tangbaozi is an ancient object. If it is broken, the little monkey cannot afford to pay for it.
Cheng Qianfan did not enter the office directly. He was chatting with his subordinates in the arresting hall.
This is a way for him to obtain information. His subordinates have many contacts with each other from all walks of life. Sometimes a casual remark may contain information or business opportunities.
Subsequently, he entered his office, locked his briefcase in the safe, and carried a bottle of red wine to the office of the Political Office on the second floor.
…
"My friend, you took the red wine you stole from me as a gift to me?" Pete showed an expression of surprise and then contempt, spread his hands, and said angrily.
"No, no, no." Cheng Qianfan shook his head, "Peter, how can we use the word 'steal' in our relationship?"
“You think you are Kong Yiji?” Peter glanced at Cheng Qianfan and said sarcastically, “Kong Yiji is ‘stealing books cannot be considered stealing’. What’s your reason? Stealing wine with a drinking buddy cannot be considered stealing?”
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PS2: The purchasing power of one yuan is approximately equal to 150 yuan today.
(End of this chapter)