An accident at the wedding dress shop
In late autumn in Shanghai, there is still a lingering warmth of the late summer heat, but the leaves of the plane trees are falling one after another, carpeting the ground with yellow and green.
Inside a high-end bridal shop on Rue de Ferguson in the French Concession, Qingcheng stood in front of a full-length mirror in a pure white wedding dress. The old tailor used a pin to fasten it again: "The size is just right, but if you tighten the waist a little, it will be perfect."
"Miss He, you've lost weight recently. Are you tired?" The tailor apprentice carefully tugged at her large skirt.
"There's so much to do for the wedding, I'm so busy I'm dizzy and have no appetite. Let whoever wants to get married in the next life do it," Qingcheng complained.
"This is nothing, the wedding day will be even more tiring." Gao Junxiao walked over with a smile. "I'll make you something nourishing when we get back. What would you like to eat?"
"I have a feeling you're up to no good," Kiyosumi said with a playful smile, tapping his cheek.
"No way, I'm such a sincere person. Feel it." Gao Junxiao's gaze was fixed on Qingcheng's face, and he took her hand and placed it on his chest.
"A sincere scheme, isn't it!" He Qingcheng's cheeks flushed slightly. Just as she was about to speak, the doorbell rang crisply.
"Qingcheng, Junxiao, congratulations!" Fei Ming said, cupping his hands in congratulations. He was still wearing his police uniform.
"Sneaking out during work hours, aren't you afraid the foreigners will cause you trouble?" He Qingcheng turned around in surprise. Gao Junxiao also smiled and nodded to the newcomer.
"I'm working. I'm just checking if this place's services match its price. I heard they offer coffee when you try on wedding dresses." Fei Ming glanced meaningfully at the beverage price list next to him.
"You're so shrewd, Mr. Xu, could you please bring me a hand-drip coffee, with milk but no sugar?" Qingcheng ordered from the old tailor. "I'm going to change into my toasting attire. You can have yours first, old classmate."
"Thanks, old classmate," Fei Ming said with a happy smile.
When Qingcheng reappeared, the rich aroma of coffee filled the air. She was now wearing a red silk cheongsam, with a dazzling golden phoenix spreading its wings as if about to take flight. Every feather was exquisitely detailed and lifelike, shimmering brilliantly under the lights.
"Wow—your clothes are so high-class! The phoenix painted here looks so real, and it even has a slight sense of movement. Which calligraphy master did you get to paint this? I want to order one for my wife too." Fei Ming exclaimed in amazement as he circled Qing Cheng.
"He drew it." Qingcheng looked at Gao Junxiao proudly.
Fei Ming stared wide-eyed in surprise: "Ah? Brother Gao has this skill? I didn't know. It's probably the only one of its kind in the world. You should cherish it. It might become a family heirloom."
"You're so good with words. We're going to the restaurant to rehearse later, do you want to come and watch?" Kiyosumi extended an invitation.
Fei Ming stirred the small silver spoon in his cup: "I'm sorry, I can't today. We arrested a member of the Communist Party last night, and we haven't handed him over yet. I have to stay with him."
"If you don't arrest Communist Party members every day, why do you need a translator like me to handle these matters?" Qingcheng picked up her cup and took a sip with an expressionless demeanor.
Fei Ming lowered his voice and said, "This time it's different. It's said to be a high-ranking official, in his fifties, with only nine fingers. He has a big gold tooth that flashes when he speaks, which is very eye-catching. All our officials above the level of inspector have to go and protect him."
"Is it Lao Yan picking people up again this time?" Gao Junxiao asked casually.
“Yeah, if you hadn’t been on vacation, you probably would have gone too, because Big Gold Tooth has the Party’s No. 1 document, which sounds very important, right?” Fei Ming said mysteriously.
Document No. 1! Qingcheng's heart skipped a beat, but she tried her best to maintain a smile: "Feiming, you've really made something of yourself! How did you catch this guy?"
“Nothing special. This guy was caught at his mistress’s house. The mistress’s nanny had already been bribed by the Investigation Bureau, and she immediately informed us as soon as she arrived. General Manager Shen went to arrest him personally,” Fei Ming said in detail.
"Hey, I thought it was some earth-shattering operation. I heard the G Party members are tough as nails. Did he confess?" Qingcheng feigned curiosity. It turned out that Shen Jian personally went to arrest him. Given his tendency to take credit, he was probably the one who escorted him.
Fei Ming snorted disdainfully: "We didn't even have to use any tricks, and he just knelt down and said that he had the key to document number one and that there were some secrets that could only be revealed when he got to the Songhu Command."
Qingcheng subconsciously glanced at Gao Junxiao. His expression was normal, but the fingers holding the coffee cup were slightly pale. He noticed her gaze, looked back at her, and gave her a reassuring look.
Setting down her coffee cup, Qingcheng sighed, "Let's talk about something happy. Fei Ming, you absolutely have to be there early for the wedding the day after tomorrow."
"Definitely, definitely! I must drink my fill at my old classmate's wedding!" Fei Ming then chatted with them enthusiastically for a while about the wedding details.
After sitting for a while, Gao Junxiao raised his hand to look at his watch: "Fei Ming, it's almost time. We still have to go to the hotel for rehearsal. Let's stop here for today? We'll have a good drink together the day after tomorrow."
"Alright, alright, you all have important business to attend to." Fei Ming quickly stood up to take his leave.
The autumn wind blew through the alley. Qingcheng took Gao Junxiao's arm, her fingertips digging deep into his sleeve. Gao Junxiao covered her hand and patted it gently twice: "I'm going to cancel my leave today."
“No, going back now would be too deliberate and arouse suspicion. I’ll go back home first to inform them and make preparations.” Qingcheng changed the subject, “I want to know if that Document No. 1 was secured with a pair of locks?”
"You should ask your people, I don't have any documents on hand," Gao Junxiao denied with a smile.
Kiyosumi straightened his collar: "Yeah, how did you know? The rehearsal is canceled today. Go back and wait for me. I need to go to the transportation station."
"Okay, I'll wait for you at home." The two waved goodbye at the entrance of the alley.
After making two turns and confirming that no one was following her, Qingcheng slipped into a stone gatehouse, went through the stairs of the kitchen, and knocked on the door of the pavilion as a warning signal.
Jiang Yun opened the door. When he saw He Qingcheng, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he immediately stepped aside to let her in.
He Qingcheng skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point: "I just received news that the French Concession police arrested a man in his fifties with nine fingers and a large gold tooth. He has the key to document number one."
"Big gold teeth, nine fingers." Old Wang, leaning on his cane, came up the inner staircase. "Are you sure?"
Qingcheng nodded and said, "My classmate in the French Concession told me personally that, apparently, officers above the level of inspector cannot go home today until they are picked up by headquarters."
"He betrayed us?" Jiang Yun and Lao Wang asked in unison.
Qingcheng affirmed, "It's highly likely. My classmate said that they didn't even use any moves before he knelt down and said that he had the key to file number one, and that the rest could only be discussed at headquarters."
Old Wang shouted excitedly, "It's over, it's over! Yamei, quickly go and tell Comrade Wu Hao to evacuate. They used to live together!"
"I'll go right away." Jiang Yun hurriedly ran downstairs, probably to find the liaison officer.
Good heavens, this guy is really a high-ranking official. Qingcheng looked at Lao Wang's lifeless expression and asked, "Just how high-ranking is he? And what is Document No. 1?"
“His rank is higher than Wu Hao’s. I’ve never seen the No. 1 document. It’s just meeting minutes, I think. I only know that it was jointly protected by the two comrades. Originally, Zhang Tianhe also had a copy, but I don’t know why he didn’t hand it over,” Old Wang explained.
"Is Document No. 1 really secured with a pair of locks?" She felt that Document No. 1 must be more than just meeting minutes; there must be other things involved, such as a list of spies.
"That's right, Comrade He is very knowledgeable. I specially commissioned someone to make that box. If it were forcibly opened, the sulfuric acid inside would immediately corrode the documents," Old Wang said proudly.
"How big is the box?" Kiyosumi pressed.
"It's huge, almost half the size of a bed," Old Wang gestured towards the double bed.
"You don't know who the other person with the key is? I don't believe you."
"I really didn't know. That person was a subordinate of Asia-America Development. Besides him, only Comrade Wu Hao and a few high-ranking cadres knew about him. Oh right, Big Gold Tooth knew his code name and public identity, but not his real name. I think he was a military officer."
It really was Jiang Yun's downline. Qingcheng asked again, "His code name was Honghu, right?"
"Yes, yes, that's the name. The Japanese all know it. I feel he's in danger. I wonder if Ami has notified him to evacuate." Old Wang scratched his head.
"What if he refuses to move? I reckon his position isn't low now; it's not easy for him to have been lying low for so long," Qingcheng said seriously.
Old Wang clicked his tongue: "This is... tsk, either kill the traitor before he's exposed, or commit suicide before the enemy finds him."
“If it were me, I would choose to take the risk.” Qingcheng looked at Lao Wang. “I also have a subordinate, Yingqi, at headquarters. You know that. I want to apply to use him to eliminate the traitor, so that more comrades will be exposed.”
Old Wang licked his lips: "Why don't we ambush them halfway? Once they get into headquarters, the traitor will definitely receive the tightest protection. There's no point in dying together. Comrade Yingqi is also a good comrade."
“We can’t intercept it. Putting aside the fact that we don’t have enough time to prepare, do you know who the people escorting this shipment are?” Qingcheng paused for a moment. “Shen Jian from Chicken and Goose Alley, and that nanny is their informant.”
"This is troublesome. Shen Jian is notorious for his recklessness in seeking credit." Old Wang frowned worriedly. "Your suggestion is not impossible, but it will put you at great risk of exposure."
"It's alright, I'll ask him if he's willing. If he is, then we'll find an opportunity to make our move tonight," Kiyosumi said anxiously.
Having received authorization, Qingcheng immediately sent a short telegram to Yingqi: Grandma is seriously ill and urgently needs a signature.
After urgently contacting Yingqi, she returned home and saw a note on the cabinet in the entryway: "Commander Xiong urgently summoned me back to headquarters. Don't wait for me for dinner today. Junxiao."
At the Songhu Command Headquarters, Gao Junxiao entered the commander's office and saluted: "Commander, you wanted to see me?"
Commander Xiong looked up from the document: "Zexiu, we received a tough guy from the Communist Party today, otherwise I wouldn't have canceled your leave. Old Yan is too irritable and we can't get through to him. Go and reason with him, and try to get some information out of him."
"Oh, who is it? Did they capture the Duke of Zhou (a figure in Chinese mythology associated with dreams)?" Gao Junxiao feigned suspicion.
Commander Xiong chuckled: "It's hard to say. I heard he lives with Zhou. We've already sent a team to that address to arrest him. Who knows, we might make a big contribution. But we should do the work at the same time. You should interrogate him first. He's one of the three secretaries of the Communist Party."
"Such a high-ranking official!" Gao Junxiao exclaimed in surprise. "Aren't these kinds of people usually tough guys? Could they really betray us? Could it be a feigned surrender?"
“I was just thinking about this too.” Commander Xiong stroked his chin. “That’s why I asked you to go and meet him. He’s already at the military law office, but he’s not being held. He’s in the reception room. After all, he’s a ‘secretary,’ so we should give him some face.”
Gao Junxiao immediately shook his head: "Commander Xiong, we can't be inferior to this kind of person in terms of momentum, lest he think there is room for bargaining and start acting tough with us."
Commander Xiong pondered for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "So what do you mean?"
"Same as always, send him to the interrogation room, but I won't torture him. Let's talk face-to-face first," Gao Junxiao said calmly.
“Alright.” Commander Xiong nodded, then added, “That Shen Jian from Nanjing is here too. You have to keep an eye on him. Their methods are too ruthless. They kill people before they can get a few words out of them. I need a confession.”
"Understood, Commander. I'll be going now." Gao Junxiao saluted again and turned to leave the headquarters office.
The interrogation room was dimly lit, with a unique, eerie, and chilling atmosphere. The legendary Party Secretary sat alone on a wooden chair, his hair gray, wearing a gray long gown, and without handcuffs.
Hearing the door open, he flinched. Gao Junxiao didn't see Chen Jian; he probably went with the team to capture Comrade Wu Hao.
Putting down his notebook, Gao Junxiao slowly walked to the interrogation table and sat down. He carefully examined the man in his fifties opposite him. The man lowered his head in fear, not daring to look directly at the newcomer.
Silence hung over the man like a wisp of air, until finally he couldn't hold it in any longer, his lips moving as he murmured, "I..."
"Name?" Gao Junxiao snapped open his notebook, not giving him a chance to speak.
"Xiang Guozhong." Xiang Guozhong tried to keep his voice steady, but there was a slight tremor in the last syllable.
“Mr. Xiang, I have long admired your name. I am Gao Junxiao, a counselor in the Military Law Department.” Gao Junxiao smiled. “Since you are already sitting here, you must understand that resisting to the bitter end will only lead to death.”
"Of course I know. Your people should verify some of the intelligence. You'll understand my sincerity when they return." Xiang Guozhong forced himself to remain calm, a trace of lingering arrogance flashing in his eyes.
“I am naturally willing to believe in Mr. Xiang’s sincerity. The value you provide will determine your future treatment.” Gao Junxiao followed his words. “If Mr. Zhou’s address is true, then you will be a hero of the Party and the country. But Mr. Zhou is not so easy to catch.”
"That depends on your abilities. Anyway, the address is definitely correct. I lived and ate with him for a month, in that same room. Not only him, but I've also given you the addresses of several other high-ranking officials," Xiang Guozhong replied decisively.
"Alright, then I'll wait for good news from the field team." Gao Junxiao changed the subject, "Besides these, do you have any other important documents, contact points, or lists of undercover agents?"
"There really isn't a list or anything like that. I'm not usually in charge of external communications; Mr. Zhou handles all of that," Xiang Guozhong forced a wry smile.
"So what large-scale events do you have recently held, where and when?" Gao Junxiao asked again.
"I don't know either. I'm about to be withdrawn to the Soviet area, so I basically won't participate in the meetings anymore." Xiang Guozhong laughed awkwardly, probably trying to ease the fact that he was a figurehead secretary with no real power.
“Mr. Xiang, your attitude is putting me in a difficult position.” Gao Junxiao’s voice turned cold. “Cooperation requires sincerity. I’m an office worker and easy to talk to, but once Shen Jian from Nanjing takes over, you won’t be treated the same way.”
Xiang Guozhong nervously licked his lips: "I... I've told you everything I know."
"Are you sure?" Gao Junxiao tapped his pen lightly on the table.
Xiang Zhongfa's face turned pale and then green. Gao Junxiao saw a weighing of options on his face and simply leaned back in his chair, no longer pressing him: "Since you have nothing to say, let's wait for Chen Jian to come back before continuing."
"Wait!" Xiang Guozhong blurted out, "I have a key that can open the box containing document number one."
"Oh? What kind of key?" Gao Junxiao became interested.
"It's made of brass, and the teeth are like plum petals." Xiang Guozhong seemed to have made up his mind. "It can open a box, but the box uses a double lock, which requires two keys to turn at the same time."
"Two keys, like the cautious style of the G Party, where are they?" Gao Junxiao opened his notebook and pretended to jot down a few notes.
“One of them I sewed onto the left hem of my coat. You can get it from the cloakroom.” Xiang Guozhong swallowed. “I don’t know about the other one. Mr. Zhou took it back then. I only know that he gave it to an agent codenamed Honghu, who was a regimental commander.”
Gao Junxiao's voice turned cold: "Ah, the regimental commander? Mr. Xiang, your story is a bit far-fetched. Do you know how much a regimental commander in our Nationalist government earns a month? 140 silver dollars. Why would he risk his life to do things for you?"
“It’s true!” Xiang Guozhong leaned forward eagerly. “I saw Mr. Zhou hand over the other key and the box to the courier, saying that he was going to pass it on to Honghu. That courier is in charge of contacting the military.”
"Then how did you know it was the regimental commander?" Gao Junxiao asked curiously.
“I pretended to be asleep that day and secretly peeked into Mr. Zhou’s notebook. He reviews the day’s work every night. He wrote it down by hand, so it shouldn’t be wrong,” Xiang Guozhong replied.
This guy knows too much. But on the surface, Gao Junxiao spread his hands nonchalantly: "Actually, it doesn't have to be so complicated. It's just a copper lock. We can just open it with a bullet."
“No. The box and the lock are one piece.” Xiang Guozhong waved his hand. “I also heard that the box has a hidden compartment. If you force it open, the acid in the compartment will corrode all the documents.”
"Alright, I believe you." Gao Junxiao pressed the bell under the table, and the guards entered in response.
"Take Mr. Xiang to the changing room and carefully examine his coat," Gao Junxiao instructed, then turned to Xiang Guozhong, "As soon as you find the key, I will immediately apply for special protection for you."
As soon as they left the interrogation room, Gao Junxiao's smile vanished. This guy had really betrayed them, and if they weren't stopped, he would become the second Zhang Tianhe.
What to do? Gao Junxiao paced back and forth in the room. This man couldn't be allowed to stay any longer; who knew what shocking secrets he might reveal?
Got it!
Gao Junxiao had a flash of inspiration and wrote a telegram to be sent to Nanjing. He simply reported that Xiang Guozhong, one of the three secretaries of the Communist Party, had been captured and that they could dig deeper for intelligence. He asked President Chiang to make a decision. As for Yuanyang Suo and Honghu, he did not mention them at all.
He then wrote a second report, which detailed Xiang Guozhong's confession. He also emphasized that given the special status of "Honghu," he suggested that long-term surveillance should be maintained, and that no one should be alerted by being greedy for credit.
He sealed the second report in a file folder, stamped it with a "Top Secret" seal, and then placed it at the bottom of a pile of documents, knowing that Shen Jian would read it when he returned.
With everything settled, Gao Junxiao unbuttoned one of his collar buttons and dialed the number in the commander's office: "Hello, Commander Xiong, I've obtained Xiang Guozhong's confession. He has some information, but not much. He's just a figurehead secretary. Should we ask the president to make a decision?"
Commander Xiong blurted out, "Yes. You draft the document, and show it to me when you're done."
“Yes, Commander, but there’s one thing I’m worried about. The people receiving the telegrams in Nanjing are all from the Chen family, but the main force behind this arrest is Shen Jian from Chicken and Goose Lane. The two sides have never gotten along.” Gao Junxiao said with difficulty.
"If the telegram tells the truth, the Chen family could intercept it, send a special envoy to take over, and steal the credit from Chicken and Goose Lane for nothing. Should we give it to the prisoner or not? If we do, we'll be caught in the middle."
“That is a problem.” Commander Xiong was also caught in a dilemma. “How do you put it so that the president can see it directly, bypassing the Chen family?”
“Then we’ll emphasize that the person we’ve caught is very important, but we need to be vague about what he said so that the Chen family can’t estimate his value and can only ask the president to ask us,” Gao Junxiao said, pressing the draft he had already prepared in his mind.
“That makes sense. We’ll proceed with your plan.” Commander Xiong agreed.
"Okay, I'll finish writing it and bring it to you in a bit." Gao Junxiao glanced at the telegram in his hand, planning to send it to the commander in five minutes.
Putting down the manuscript, Gao Junxiao raised his hand to check his watch. It had been almost twenty minutes. Why hadn't Xiang Guozhong returned yet? Could that old bastard have some tricks up his sleeve?
He glanced around and left the interrogation room. The door to the cloakroom at the end of the corridor was empty. Where were the sentries? Gao Junxiao slowed his pace and drew his sidearm.
Thump! A slight thud, as if something had hit a piece of wood. Gao Junxiao knew something was wrong and rushed into the dressing room, almost tripping over a guard on the floor.
In the cramped walk-in closet, two shadows overlapped. Xiang Guozhong stretched out his hand, his eyes almost white, and a thin steel wire around his neck gleamed coldly.
"Stop!" Gao Junxiao strode forward, exclaiming in alarm, "Chief of Staff Jiang?"
Seemingly caught off guard by the arrival of the assailant, Jiang Yingqi paused slightly, but the next second he exerted even more force, and the steel wire cut deeply into the traitor's neck.
What's going on?! Gao Junxiao delivered a powerful punch to Ying Qi's exposed ribs. Ying Qi winced in pain, and the steel wire snapped instantly. Gao Junxiao seized the opportunity to strike at his wrist, attempting to snatch Guo Zhong away.
Yingqi's eyes sharpened, abandoning his strangulation attack and turning to block Gao Junxiao's next offensive. The two exchanged blows in the cramped dressing room. Coats were torn off one after another, hangers clanging loudly. But neither dared to make a loud noise.
Using the angle of the cabinet door, Gao Junxiao suddenly locked Yingqi's arm, slamming him against the wall, and whispered, "Red Team, right? Don't do anything here, I have a way."
Jiang Yingqi's eyes were red-rimmed, and he asked breathlessly, "Who are you?"
“One of us.” Gao Junxiao sensed that Ying Qi was no longer struggling, so he released his hold. “Go back and report to your superiors. Tell them that there are eighty-one steps involved in rat extermination, so there’s no need to get the workers’ hands dirty. Report it upstairs; someone will understand.”
"Why should I listen to you?" Yingqi glared at Gao Junxiao.
“You can disobey me and kill him to be a hero, but the consequence will be that your infiltration will fail, and it might implicate your superiors.” Gao Junxiao explained the pros and cons clearly. “You can also choose to listen to me and wait for news of the traitor’s death.”
Yingqi turned his head away and snorted heavily, smoothing out the wrinkles on his military uniform, as if he believed Gao Junxiao's words.
Gao Junxiao also straightened his clothes: "And you're not allowed to use my real name, I'm afraid he's not high enough in rank."
Yingqi glanced at Gao Junxiao with a complicated expression, lowered his hat brim, and quickly left the scene.
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