Ning Zhiheng then pressed on, "And who sent you to find these two jade artifacts?"
Upon hearing this, Dai Daguang hesitated for a moment before finally replying, "It was Su Yu, the deputy director of the Second Division of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He contacted me four days ago, saying that two family heirloom jade artifacts had been lost. One was a jadeite magatama, and the other was a seal. He asked me to find them at all costs, as they were his family heirloom jade artifacts and very important to him!"
"A deputy section chief at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Are you serious?" Ning Zhiheng's spirits lifted upon hearing this. This was a big fish! A section-level official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!
Other departments are relatively easy to handle; the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau has the authority to intervene in investigations. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a special case. It is directly under President Chiang Kai-shek's leadership, and he has always attached great importance to it. In fact, every minister in the Ministry is a close confidant of President Chiang, to the point that a few years later, President Chiang personally served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Even the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau is extremely cautious when handling cases involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Of course it's true, how could I dare to lie to you!" Dai Daguang said with a bitter face.
"Did he give you anything else?" Ning Zhiheng asked.
After stammering for a while, Dai Daguang finally spoke, "He said this matter must be investigated secretly, without alerting the police, and the sooner the better!"
"Of course he has to do it in secret, because these two jade artifacts can't be exposed to the light of day," Ning Zhiheng said coldly.
Dai Daguang quickly nodded and said, "That's what I thought at the time too. But Director Su is in a high position and has a lot of power. I have to work under him, so of course I didn't dare to disobey him. That's why I sent my subordinates, the Zuo siblings, to do this. But sir, I really didn't ask them to kill anyone! I've always been law-abiding. I was kept in the dark about the whole thing from beginning to end. I'm so wronged!"
"Don't cry foul yet! Did Su Yu give you a deadline?" Ning Zhiheng asked.
"He gave me six days, saying he would find it as soon as possible, and at most ten days. If he couldn't find it, he would find someone else to do it!" Dai Daguang said helplessly, his head hanging low.
Why six days? And not seven or eight days? Ning Zhiheng felt there must be something fishy going on here. If what Dai Daguang said was true, then this Director Su Yu must have been sent by Tian Liqun to retrieve the family emblem seal and the jade pendant. After obtaining the family emblem seal, Su Yu would not delay such an important item; he would hand it over to Tian Liqun immediately or the very next day.
"When did Su Yu entrust this matter to you four days ago?" Ning Zhiheng pressed.
“Four days ago, last Sunday night, he called to tell me we met and he told me about this matter!” Dai Daguang said.
Ning Zhiheng calculated the time. The time Su Yu set was exactly when Dai Daguang was required to retrieve the seal and jade on Saturday. In other words, it was very likely that he would meet with Tian Liqun on Sunday to return the seal and jade to him.
In other words, it is very likely that last Sunday, Su Yu received a notification from Tian Liqun, asking him to find the family emblem seal and the jade chrysanthemum. That same evening, Su Yu also notified Dai Daguang to meet and entrusted this matter to him. If I'm not mistaken, Su Yu and Tian Liqun are very likely to meet this Sunday!
Now that Tian Liqun is also under his surveillance, all he needs to do is keep a close eye on Su Yu and see if the two of them meet on that day. Then things will be clear! It will almost certainly confirm Su Yu's identity as a Japanese spy!
As for Dai Daguang, Ning Zhiheng judged that he was probably telling the truth, but this still needed to be verified. After all, Su Yu was a section chief in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ning Zhiheng still needed to be cautious about such a high-ranking official.
Unlike gangsters like Dai Daguang, who may seem like a big shot to ordinary people, Ning Zhiheng sees him as nothing more than an ant that he could easily crush.
However, Dai Daguang is still useful. He needs to keep that Director Su in check and not alert this target. This is a rare big fish. Just think, digging out a high-ranking official lurking in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a great achievement that will be recorded in his book of merits.
Thinking of this, Ning Zhiheng said in a very stern tone: "Dai Daguang, I think you don't understand the seriousness of this matter. Your problem is not just that you ordered your subordinates to commit murder and assassination, but more importantly, you have been involved in a major Japanese spy case that our Military Intelligence Investigation Department is investigating. Director Su Yu, who instructed you to find two precious jade artifacts, is a Japanese spy who has infiltrated our country. Those two jade artifacts are the most important tokens and physical evidence in this case! You are suspected of treason and illegally engaging in espionage activities. You should understand the nature of this!"
Just like the Zuo siblings, when Dai Daguang heard Ning Zhiheng's words, his mouth gaped open, his eyes widened, and he couldn't utter a word. Finally, he let out a wail: "Sir! I'm innocent! How was I supposed to know that Director Su, no, that bastard, was a Japanese spy? I was deceived! Please, sir, have mercy and spare my life! I'm willing to give you all my wealth! Please let me go!"
Only then did Dai Daguang realize why a department like the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau would contact him. It turned out that he had been implicated in such a serious case and had even been involved in espionage activities. He could be said to have one foot in the grave, and his life or death was entirely in the hands of this Commander Ning!
Seeing that his words had had an effect, Ning Zhiheng softened his tone and said, "Now that you understand the seriousness of the matter, you should understand that you have committed a capital offense! I'm giving you a chance now!"
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