Chapter 47 Framing the Ye Family

The moon was dark and the wind was high.

Behind Jietai Temple on the outskirts of Beijing lies a Zen monastery that is usually not very popular with worshippers.

Several dark figures, deeper than the night, moved like ghosts along the base of the temple wall, landing silently.

Qin Zheng made a hand gesture, and the two elite veterans behind him immediately dispersed, one on each side, and silently approached the guards who were dozing at the door.

There were no screams, only two muffled "clunks," and the guard's body slumped to the ground, dragged into the shadows.

Qin Zheng compared the crooked map drawn by Liu Sisi with another, more detailed layout map from his pocket. A look of understanding flashed in his eyes as he compared the two. Things given by the young lady were never wrong.

He led his men around the two huge ginkgo trees in the front yard, heading straight for the west wing of the back yard.

Inside the side room, a smiling Buddha statue, about half a person's height, was enshrined. Qin Zheng stepped forward, placed his hands on two inconspicuous protrusions on the base of the Buddha statue, and twisted it forcefully.

"Creak—"

The Buddha statue slowly moved to one side, revealing a dark underground entrance.

A cold aura, a mixture of dust and metal, rushed towards us.

When the beam of the flashlight illuminated a corner of the secret room, even Qin Zheng, who had seen many big scenes, had his pupils shrink suddenly.

The room wasn't large, but the contents inside were enough to make anyone's heart stop.

Rows of wooden shelves were neatly stacked with gleaming gold bars, their reflections gleaming with a dazzling, greedy light. On the other side were a dozen heavy metal crates, each labeled with its year and code.

This isn't black money; it's clearly a private national treasury!

"Make your move!" Qin Zheng gave the order in a low voice.

His men, all elites retired from the battlefield, displayed astonishing efficiency. Gold bars were quickly packed into specially made canvas bags, and heavy iron boxes were carried away in pairs.

The entire process was quiet and swift.

...

At the same time, Tangdixuan.

Su Wantang sat under the lamp, a map spread out in front of her, which she had copied from memory. Her fingertips tapped the table lightly, the crisp sound particularly clear in the quiet tea room.

She was analyzing Qin Zheng's actions, calculating the possible time differences at each stage.

The knocking stopped abruptly.

She took a few things out of her small bag and placed them on the table.

A silver leaf-shaped cufflink is standard issue for male members of the Ye family; it is exquisitely crafted.

An empty cigarette box with the "Daqianmen" brand printed on it, but inside there was a faint, distinctive smell of imported "Ken" cigarettes, which was Minister Ye's favorite.

There were a few strands of hair that she had casually plucked from Ye Manrou's coat when they "brushed past each other" at the dance last time.

She looked at these things, raised an eyebrow, and then a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

Stealing is not a skill.

It's interesting that after stealing something, the victim can then go and fight someone else.

...

A secluded chamber in a Zen temple.

In less than ten minutes, the mountain of gold bars and iron boxes was swept away, leaving only empty wooden frames and dust on the ground.

Qin Zheng glanced at his watch and said in a deep voice, "Set up the scene."

One of the team members immediately stepped forward, took out the Ye family cufflink from his pocket, and casually tossed it into a corner under the wooden frame, as if it had fallen in a panic.

The other man changed into a pair of leather shoes, the soles of which had the same pattern as those worn by the Ye family's bodyguards. He left several messy, deep footprints on the muddy ground at the entrance to the secret room, perfectly faking the disheveled traces of someone fleeing with a heavy load.

After doing all this, Qin Zheng gave a final look to make sure there were no mistakes.

"withdraw!"

The shadowy figures came silently and left without a trace, leaving behind only an empty, secret room and a meticulously arranged, clearly defined "crime scene."

...

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Lu Wenbo was still eating breakfast at home when his trusted secretary rushed in, his face pale as a ghost.

"Second Master! Something terrible has happened! Something's happened at Jietai Temple!"

Lu Wenbo paused, his brows furrowing into a knot: "What's the panic! The sky isn't going to fall!"

"The Zen temple...the Zen temple has been robbed!" The secretary's voice trembled. "The gold and...and those boxes, all gone! They've been emptied out!"

"Clang!"

The white porcelain spoon in Lu Wenbo's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

He jumped to his feet, grabbed his secretary by the collar, his eyes bloodshot: "What did you say?! Say it again!"

"It's empty! All empty!" The secretary was almost in tears. "The guards have all been taken down, and...they found Ye family cufflinks at the scene! The footprints at the door match up—they're the shoes their family guarantees!"

“The Ye family…” Lu Wenbo released his secretary, staggered back two steps, and the muscles on his face were contorted with extreme anger.

He "figured out" all the key points almost instantly.

The Ye family fell from grace, and Minister Ye was suspended from his duties pending investigation. Instead of offering a helping hand, Lu Wenbo immediately distanced himself from the situation.

Excellent! What a fine Ye family!

This is someone who knows they are doomed, yet they still want to tear a piece of flesh from him before they die! This is a desperate, frenzied counterattack!

"Ye! Jiang! Guo!" Lu Wenbo squeezed out these three words through gritted teeth, slamming his fist on the mahogany dining table, sending the bowls and plates flying high into the air.

He never expected that the dog he had kicked away would actually have the audacity to turn around and bite him!

The news spread like wildfire throughout the compound.

Version 1: Master Lu's hidden vault outside was raided by remnants of the Ye family!

Version Two: Have you heard? Before the Ye family fell from power, they swindled a large sum of money from Master Lu. Now, Master Lu's men are searching the world for them to pay back the debt!

Version 3: That's not all! Yesterday in Xidan, Lu Erye's men and Minister Ye's former driver got into a fight right there in the street, and they even broke each other's heads!

In an instant, the entire city of Beijing was thrown into turmoil. Everyone's attention was focused on this sudden "dog-eat-dog" drama, watching with great interest.

Military Region General Hospital.

Lu Jingyan looked at Su Wantang in front of him, whose face wore a sweet yet mischievous, triumphant smile.

“Now, your second uncle won’t have time to cause us any trouble.” Su Wantang handed him a list of items seized from the Zen temple.

Lu Jingyan didn't look at the list; his gaze was fixed on Su Wantang's face.

This woman always manages to achieve her goals using the most ruthless methods.

Ignoring the burning gaze in his eyes, Su Wantang turned around and took the most inconspicuous tin box from Qin Zheng's hand, then opened it.

There were no gold bars inside, only thick ledgers.

She pulled out a book from the bottom; the cover was already a bit yellowed.

"I think you should take a look at this." She handed the ledger to Lu Jingyan.

Lu Jingyan took it and casually flipped through it.

At first, he casually browsed the records about smuggling and reselling without even frowning.

But when he turned to a certain page in the middle, his hand suddenly froze.

That page did not record monetary transactions.

Instead, it was an extremely unusual troop movement, including vehicles, fuel, communication equipment... The quantity was small, but it was extremely secretive.

At the top of that page, a date was written in pen—

Ten years ago, in autumn.

In the same month that Lu Jingyue disappeared, a batch of military equipment of the same model vanished into thin air in the same place using the same method.