When Gu Zhengqing was mentioned, Mrs. Yi's tone was very displeased, and it was clear that she did not have a good impression of him.
"Mrs. Yi seems very dissatisfied with Gu Zhengqing. Is it because he has disrespected Mrs. Yi in some way?"
Ning Zhiheng learned from the investigation data that Gu Zhengqing had always been single and had never had a girlfriend. He wondered if Gu Zhengqing might have ulterior motives towards Mrs. Yi, which might have aroused Mrs. Yi's disgust.
Mrs. Yi shook her head and said, "Many people know about Gu Zhengqing's affairs. I don't gossip behind people's backs. You can find out by asking around."
The implication was clear: she didn't want to say more. It was evident that Mrs. Yi was cultured and well-mannered, unlike the average gossipy woman.
Ning Zhiheng didn't press the issue, and continued, "Did Gu Zhengqing behave any unusually compared to usual? Was all the food for dinner from your family?"
“Nothing is different, just like usual. But every time he comes to drink with my husband, he brings a bottle of fine red wine. My husband loves to drink it. He used to have a habit of drinking red wine when our family was well-off. But after the war broke out, the Yi family fell into ruin. We then traveled around and came to Chongqing. The conditions here are even more difficult. We can’t afford a bottle of fine red wine.”
Mrs. Yi's words immediately drew everyone's attention. Ning Zhiheng asked, "Was the red wine Mr. Yi was drinking brought by Gu Zhengqing?"
"Yes, they bring it every time. The Gu family is well-off and can always get their hands on some good stuff, unlike us," Mrs. Yi confirmed.
"Does Gu Zhengqing also drink red wine during meals?"
“He doesn’t drink; he prefers baijiu (Chinese liquor). The red wine is reserved for my husband.”
Ning Zhiheng nodded, feeling more at ease. He then asked a few more questions before getting up to take his leave.
The group left the Yi family's residence, discussing the day's findings as they walked.
Yu Cheng said, "I was negligent before. Now it seems that Gu Zhengqing is the traitor. He is Yi Dong's good friend, so he naturally knows that Yi Dong suffers from claustrophobia and has dizziness. He is also a core member of the decryption team and knows that Yi Dong has started to decipher the Japanese military's codes. So he began to plot to assassinate Yi Dong."
On the eve of the rest day, under the guise of going over for drinks, they tampered with the red wine and made Yi Dong drink it, causing Yi Dong to appear to have a relapse of his old illness. Feeling unwell, Yi Dong didn't suspect anything and could only rest in bed at home as usual. Then, Japanese bombers flew overhead. Taking advantage of the air raid sirens sounding and everyone taking shelter in the air raid shelters, Gu Zhengqing arranged for his accomplices to set up bombing markers. Yi Dong, due to claustrophobia, refused to enter the air raid shelter as usual and was killed by concentrated bombing. This way, everyone would think Yi Dong died accidentally, eliminating him without anyone knowing. Gu Zhengqing could then continue his undercover work peacefully. What a clever plan! Unfortunately, it was discovered from the start, and now he's still in our hands.”
Ning Zhiheng completely agreed with Yu Cheng's assessment; at present, Gu Zhengqing was highly suspicious.
He suddenly remembered something and turned to Bian Deshou, asking, "Old Bian, just now Mrs. Yi said that Gu Zhengqing is a despicable person. Do you know what it was about?"
Bian Deshou was the head steward of these codebreaking experts, responsible for taking care of their daily lives, so he should have known something about this.
When Ning Zhiheng asked, Bian Deshou said, "Actually, it's not as serious as Mrs. Yi said. These are just gossips from those busybodies. Here's what happened: Gu Zhengqing's father works in the Ministry of Finance. More than half a year ago, he took a fancy to a young woman who had fled to Chongqing. Her husband was killed by soldiers on his way to Chongqing, leaving her all alone and without any relatives. Later, out of necessity, she took refuge in the Gu family. Government officials are not allowed to take concubines, so she didn't have any official status. But later, for some reason, rumors spread that Gu Zhengqing and this woman had some kind of affair. Gu's mother got angry and kicked the woman out. Gu Zhengqing had a long argument with his father about this, but things gradually calmed down. In my opinion, his father is disrespectful to his elders and isn't a good person either."
Ning Zhiheng frowned. He didn't care about these mundane family matters, but he had to test Gu Zhengqing's true colors.
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