Yuan Weicheng was stunned for a moment, and his heart almost collapsed. He turned around and said, "Comrade, is there anything else?"
Han Jing frowned and glanced at a young soldier standing on both sides of him. The young soldier understood, saluted and walked aside.
Now seeing the serious military officer, Yuan Weicheng became nervous: "Comrade, I still remember everything about Zhou Bangguo and the others. I have said it all. I really can't remember anything else."
Because the focus of the interrogation in the past few days was on Zhou Bangguo, Yuan Weicheng consciously thought that Han Jingchen would know this.
"It's about Comrade Pei Manning." Han Jingchen spoke.
"Ah?" Yuan Weicheng took a while to react, scratching his head and saying, "I really don't know much about Comrade Pei. She only comes to the bookstore occasionally. As for where she lives and where she hangs out, I don't know either."
Han Jingchen was not surprised, nor did he doubt the truth of the words. Even Liao Weiguo could not find out.
It turns out that Han Jingchen was the one who interrogated Pei Manning, but before he started asking, Pei Manning had a seizure in front of him.
"How much do you remember of what she said to you when she was alive?"
Yuan Weicheng thought carefully for a while, "She basically asked what books I had. She rarely asked other questions... Oh, by the way! She once asked me how long it would take to get from Anxian to Yangzhou?"
"Yangzhou?" Han Jingchen repeated in a low voice.
"Yes, Yangzhou!" Yuan Weicheng didn't take it seriously at the time. He just thought Pei Manning had seen the place Yangzhou in a book, so he asked on a whim.
Now that I think about it, it is indeed a bit strange that Comrade Pei doesn’t even know what Yangzhou in the Tang Dynasty is called now.
"Nothing else?"
Yuan Weicheng recalled for a moment, his expression a little sad, and then shook his head, "No, Comrade Pei never mentioned her private affairs to others."
Actually, there are. Comrade Pei once asked, what kind of book is better to give to the recipient?
I could hardly believe it at the time. Comrade Pei looked only fifteen years old. How could he have a partner at such a young age? I was already twenty years old and still had no partner.
Later, someone as low in emotional intelligence as 놛 finally realized that the lesbian just felt that 놛 was too attentive, and wanted to find an excuse to tactfully keep a distance from 놛.
It's a bit embarrassing and shameful to tell this to others.
Apart from this, Yuan Weicheng couldn't think of anything else suspicious, so he could only tell Han Jingchen everything he could think of, "Comrade Pei seems to have been to Huayin Street in the east of the city, does this count?"
Because 놛 lived near that area, he once saw Pei Manning's back from a distance, but before 놛 had the chance to say hello, she left.
…
After seeing Yuan Weicheng off, Han Jingchen walked back.
"Brother Chen, why are you holding on to Comrade Pei? I don't think Comrade Pei is a spy at all." Jiang Ye followed behind and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Comrade Pei is obviously the kind of person who can't carry anything on his shoulders or lift a basket with his hands. He doesn't even have a rope in his hands. He has never held a gun, nor done dirty or strenuous work. With his delicate skin and tender flesh, how can he withstand rigorous training?
Besides, she also suffers from heart disease. When she is nervous, her heart rate will speed up and she may even pass out. She was so nervous that she fainted during the interrogation.
With such a delicate figure, even if she has the talent to be a spy, her body won't allow it!
Han Jingchen strode forward, but did not answer as he was thinking about something.
Jiang Ye continued, "Besides, wasn't the list from Zhou Bangguo deciphered? Everyone has a corresponding person. Comrade Pei is not our accomplice at all. Besides, Yuan Weicheng has explained everything he should, and our identity has been verified. Even we are not a spy. Comrade Pei is just an acquaintance of us, so it is even more impossible for him to be a spy."
Han Jing glanced at her and said, "Even if she is not, there must be something wrong with her background."
Most people, faced with this kind of thing, would rush to confess in order to clear themselves of suspicion if their identities were not in question. However, Pei Manning refused to speak.
Speaking of this, Jiang Ye also found it a bit strange. Some of Comrade Pei's behaviors were indeed very suspicious.
In addition to delivering meals these past few days, she couldn't help but test Comrade Pei in some ways, such as by mentioning her family and parents when chatting about family matters, but Pei Manning always changed the subject.
"But...Brother Chen, Comrade Pei is not a spy. Who is she and where is she from? These are not our business, right?"
Our mission this time is just to cooperate with the intelligence team, catch the person codenamed "Plum Blossom", find out the hidden code, decipher the secret message, and then catch all of Plum Blossom's superiors and subordinates in one fell swoop.
Now, "Meihua", that is, Zhou Bangguo, has been caught, the micro-code has been found, the secret message has been intercepted and deciphered, and the people on the list in the secret manual have all been found out.
Facts have proven that Comrade Pei has absolutely nothing to do with this matter.
We are an independent flight squadron, and our profession is not intelligence work. This time it is just because Han Jingchen was the first to discover the clue. We used to be a student of reconnaissance and intelligence, and we are old partners with special correspondent Song Qiubai. We will not let them complete this mission together.
Now that the mission has been completed, nothing else should be involved.
After Jiang Ye's reminder, Han Jingchen also frowned.
In fact, although Han Jingchen suspected Pei Manning, deep down, he was inclined to believe that Pei Manning was not a spy.
Otherwise, if they had been tougher, even if they didn't use torture to extract a confession, there were plenty of ways to make her confess honestly. But so far, they hadn't used the interrogation tactics of a spy on Pei Manning.
But there is no such thing as feeling. When it comes to such a serious matter, it is not judged by feelings, but by facts and evidence.
As long as Pei Manning refused to explain her origins, people would be suspicious.
After all, the military is a place that values discipline and principles. It won't arbitrarily accuse people, nor will it convict people without any basis. It's better for you to investigate now than for the Revolutionary Committee to investigate one day.
The Revolutionary Committee came to investigate. A delicate woman like Pei Manning...
Jiang Ye was still chattering, and Han Jingchen interrupted her calmly, "Okay, I understand what you mean."
The military should maintain its purity. Now, all those related to "Plum Blossom" have been arrested. There is currently no evidence to prove that Pei Manning, who was implicated, is a spy, and the army cannot continue to detain her.
As for her refusal to explain her origins, whether she really ran away from home, was an educated youth who escaped, or even a fugitive, she should be handed over to the public security department for further investigation and verification, and then she should be repatriated to her hometown.
…
Pei Manning was still washing clothes on the balcony of the single room. Just after she finished washing her shirt, Han Jingchen and Jiang Ye came.
When she saw that both of them had serious expressions, her heart skipped a beat.
Pei Manning immediately put her clothes away, walked out of the balcony, and asked nervously, "Comrade Han, are there any results of the investigation? I am indeed innocent, right?"
Her eyes were filled with moonlight, and she stared at him unblinkingly with anxiety.
The matter of plum blossoms involved confidentiality, so Han Jingchen didn't tell her too much and only said, "For now."
"For the time being?" Pei Manning frowned. "What do you mean?"
Does that mean that, even though there is no evidence to prove that she is a spy, she is still a suspect because of her unknown origins?
Jiang Ye was standing by and said, "Comrade Pei, this is what happened. Although you have no direct relationship with Yuan Weicheng and the others, you forged someone else's household registration book and personal information. Not only did you have to pay a fine, you were also sent back to your hometown."
Pei Manning: “…”
Place of origin, place of origin again!
Pei Manning couldn't help feeling depressed. If she hadn't met Han Jingchen and Jiang Ye that night, she would have found a way to find an identity for herself.
But thinking back, if it weren't for people as upright as us, she wouldn't know whether her situation would be even more dangerous.
"Can I not go back?" Pei Manning pursed her lips, tied her clothes, and asked in a low voice.
Han Jingchen stared into her eyes: "Why?"
Pei Manning hesitated for a long time, and finally seemed to muster up the courage to face Han Jingchen's sharp scrutiny, and said in a low voice: "My parents are gone, I have nowhere to go."
Hearing this, Han Jingchen frowned.
But looking at Pei Manning's expression, it didn't look like she was lying.
Jiang Ye, on the other hand, was surprised. "Comrade Pei, you... do you have any other relatives or friends?"
"No more," Pei Manning's eyes turned red. "I know you are suspicious of my background, but even if I tell you my story, you won't believe it. You will just think I'm lying."
Jiang Ye immediately said: "Comrade Pei, don't worry, as long as you tell the truth, we will believe it."
Pei Manning looked up at him and said, "Really?"
Jiang Ye nodded.
She looked at Han Jingchen again. Han Jingchen still frowned, but still said, "You tell me first."
At this point, Pei Manning had no choice but to bite the bullet and make up an identity and background.
She knew that if the issue of her origins was not resolved, it would become a hidden danger.
Now it is Han Jingchen and others who are suspicious, but at least they are decent people and will not use harsh measures against her. If one day, they are suspected and reported by others, they will not be so gentle then.
Instead of doing that, it would be better to take advantage of this matter and seek protection from Han Jingchen and Jiang Ye first.