A few days ago, the city's evening newspaper published an article about this case, mostly praising the police, but at the end it subtly pointed out that some minor mistakes inevitably occurred in the police's handling of the case, such as detaining and imprisoning some innocent people for more than a month without sufficient evidence, etc.
Therefore, Zhao Qing urged Zhong Shan to speed up the interrogation process.
Zhong Shan had no choice but to ask Xu Zhengyang, this maverick, to take action once again.
With Lord Xu Zhengyang taking charge, he is definitely worth several times over.
Yesterday afternoon, Xu Zhengyang and Tian Qing had a one-on-one meeting for half an hour, and then he had a meeting with Xing Yufen for more than forty minutes.
As a result, both of them broke down in their mental defenses, tearfully confessed their crimes, and begged the government for leniency...
After so much time dragging on and countless interrogations, there had been no results. Even those at the county bureau involved in the case had become disheartened, thinking the two men would eventually be acquitted. But then, a sudden turn of events occurred, a glimmer of hope appearing. The appearance of the undercover agent working for Captain Zhong caused the two suspects to transform themselves like butchers suddenly enlightened by Buddha, laying down their knives and becoming enlightened on the spot…
When everyone in charge of the case saw Xu Zhengyang, their gazes became filled with confusion, shock, and admiration... Even two young female police officers looked at Xu Zhengyang with the burning admiration of beautiful women for a hero.
Upon hearing that the two suspects had finally confessed, Zhao Qing was so overjoyed that he lost his composure and clapped and cheered repeatedly in the office!
This case is now completely solved and can be closed. The county police chief in charge of the case doesn't need to worry too much about the subsequent legal proceedings. The credit doesn't just go to Zhong Shan; as the county police chief and nominal leader of the special task force, he absolutely deserves a major contribution! Although he initially said he wouldn't compete with Zhong Shan for credit, in fact, he didn't need to. The simple principle of "when one person achieves success, even their relatives and friends benefit" still applies here. Everyone involved in this case has made a significant contribution.
For the small county public security bureau, which had never solved such a nationally sensational case before, this was enough to make everyone proud. Even Old Li, the head chef of the canteen, could proudly tell his neighbors when the case was publicly announced to be solved half a month later: "When we were working on this case, the officers on the special task force were so busy, but they were still full of energy. Why? It all comes down to nutrition. The food that Old Li makes is not only delicious and visually appealing, but also nutritious and scientifically balanced..."
But how many people know that the biggest contributor to this case was Xu Zhengyang, the local official in charge of the local government?
Zhongshan knew.
The officers on the task force knew this, but they still believed Xu Zhengyang was an undercover agent.
Zhao Qing knows now.
So, in a very good mood, Zhao Qing specially invited Zhong Shan out for a couple of drinks today. Of course... he also invited Xu Zhengyang, who had made a great contribution, so that he could get to know this capable man better. In the future, if our county public security bureau has any cases and can't catch the suspects, we'll definitely have to trouble him. This was Zhao Qing's true thought. Think about it, if Xu Zhengyang had interrogated Tian Qing and Xing Yufen immediately after Hao Peng and the others confessed, it wouldn't have dragged on for so long.
On this point, Zhao Qing still can't understand why Zhong Shan didn't let Xu Zhengyang seize the opportunity and take the fall in one fell swoop. He is still very angry about Zhong Shan's low-level mistake.
Zhao Qing was confused, and Zhong Shan was equally bewildered and resentful. Xu Zhengyang had stubbornly refused to participate in the interrogation of Tian Qing and Xing Yufen, offering no explanation, yet afterwards he frequently called to inquire whether Tian Qing and Xing Yufen had confessed, and if not, when they would be released. Zhong Shan even suspected that Xu Zhengyang might be related to Tian Qing and Xing Yufen. Of course, it was just a suspicion, a fleeting thought that quickly faded from his mind. What a joke! If that were true, why would Xu Zhengyang have bothered with all that trouble? If he hadn't mentioned Tian Qing and Xing Yufen's involvement, who would have known they were guilty?
Zhao Qing raised his glass in acknowledgment, then drank a glass of wine. His face flushed, he said, "Zhengyang, how did you do that? You've got to learn from us old guys! It seems we really need to learn more from you young people to improve!"
"It's nothing," Xu Zhengyang said with a simple smile. "Actually, I just wanted to tell them that there are gods watching over us... We should accumulate some good karma for our descendants."
"Haha..." Zhao Qing laughed heartily, thinking to himself that this kid seemed quite shy, but he was quite witty. He could joke like this when talking to me, the county public security bureau chief. He was not simple, not simple at all.
Zhong Shanqiang smiled and reminded him, "Zhengyang, stop talking nonsense and get serious."
Xu Zhengyang squinted at Zhong Shan, his face still bearing a simple, honest smile, but he picked up his chopsticks and ate without responding to Zhong Shan's words. This didn't seem impolite at all; he appeared quite casual. Inwardly, however, he cursed, "Stop reminding me! If you, Zhong Shan, hadn't handled things so poorly and cleaned up the mess, would Zhao Qing have invited me to this restaurant for drinks? I was worried about how to explain it to Zhao Qing."
"A talent, an absolute talent!" Zhao Qing lit a cigarette, casually tossed the pack in front of Xu Zhengyang, and laughed, "Let me guess first, Zhengyang, you must have graduated from a prestigious university, right? Hmm, you seem a bit too young. Did you study psychology?"
"No, no, I've been farming at home since I graduated from junior high school," Xu Zhengyang said with an embarrassed smile.
"Huh?" Zhao Qing was taken aback, then looked at Zhong Shan.
Zhong Shan gave an awkward chuckle and nodded, saying, "Genius, genius..."
"That's amazing!" Zhao Qing exclaimed in astonishment, then said, "Then you need to tell me in more detail how you interrogated the criminal suspects? You persuaded Hao Peng, Zhu Fenjin, and Ma Liang to confess, right?"
"No, no, when I arrived, they had already confessed," Xu Zhengyang said modestly, waving his hand.
“Yes, at that time the three of them had already admitted to drug trafficking…” Zhong Shan said.
Zhao Qing laughed and said, "What about Tian Qing and Xing Yufen this time? Don't tell me it's some kind of ghost story again... Hmm, speaking of which, I just remembered something. The people in the task force said that when Hao Peng and the others confessed that day, they kept crying and saying that they had encountered ghosts and committed sins... I really don't know what you guys have been doing."
"Originally, what I told them was that there are gods watching from above, and heaven is watching what people do..." Xu Zhengyang said with utmost seriousness, not at all like he was lying.
Oh, in a sense, Xu Zhengyang was indeed telling the truth.
Zhong Shan's smile became increasingly forced.
Zhao Qing laughed heartily, gave a thumbs up, and said, "That also requires psychological and linguistic skills, amazing! Tell me quickly, how did you do it? Don't keep it a secret, this is a very important learning course for us police officers. I'll have to make sure the entire criminal investigation team of the county bureau, no, the whole county bureau, goes to study psychology courses. Where did all that criminal psychology knowledge we learned before go?"
"Hmm..." Xu Zhengyang scratched his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, Director Zhao, please don't laugh at me, but actually, after I went into the interrogation room, I didn't say a word to them. I just kept slapping them across the face, no matter what they said. Don't rush, don't laugh, don't get angry, just stay calm and act like nothing happened. Don't treat them like human beings, treat them like animals. Well, I can't keep slapping them, I'll get tired, right? So when I see their eyes look wrong, or they're about to say something, I immediately start slapping them. I don't talk to them, I don't listen to what they're saying, I don't let them say anything. Even if they lower their heads and don't speak, it doesn't work. I just keep slapping them... After they're completely confused from being beaten, I tell them it's retribution, that there are gods watching over us, and that heaven is watching what people do..."
Seeing Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan still stunned, Xu Zhengyang scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Well, I know it's wrong, it's not right. I did this at the police station. I admit my mistake. Hitting people is wrong..."
"What nonsense!" Zhong Shan scolded, both amused and exasperated.
"No, this isn't nonsense! It makes perfect sense!" Zhao Qing waved his hand to interrupt Zhong Shan, nodding seriously and earnestly, "Old Zhong, let's all think about this carefully when we get back. Actually, this should be a way to strike at the psychological defenses of criminal suspects..."
"Huh?" Zhong Shan was stunned.
Xu Zhengyang grinned sheepishly, squinted his eyes, raised his wine glass as a toast, then tilted his head back to drink it down before picking up some food.
I thought to myself: Damn, this actually works? Should I admire myself or this Director Zhao?
After chatting about the case for a while, Zhao Qing suddenly asked, "Zhengyang, have you ever thought about becoming a policeman?"
"Huh? No... I'm doing pretty well now. I work as a joint security guard at both Huaxiang Police Station and Futou Town Police Station, earning two salaries..." Xu Zhengyang said, shaking his head with a simple and content expression.
Zhao Qing smiled and said, "Joint security guards are not formal police officers. What I mean is, would you like to be a formally employed police officer? If so, I'll try to get you one of this year's recruitment slots."
"This...this." Xu Zhengyang pretended to be surprised and flattered, but in his heart he was secretly worried about how to refuse.
Zhong Shan knew, of course, that Xu Zhengyang didn't want to be a policeman. The guy was running a successful antique shop in Fuhe City and was said to have become a millionaire. Why would he want to be a policeman, a job that was both tiring and tedious? So Zhong Shan said, "Director Zhao, Zhengyang has no education or culture. This kind of thing is difficult to handle. Let's just forget about it."
"It's alright." Zhao Qing waved his hand and said easily, "As long as you have the ability, that's fine. Our public security department is short of such talent. As for education, that's easy to solve. A friend of mine is in charge of a police academy in Jingxiang City, Hunan Province. Just get a police academy graduation certificate from him. Of course, you still need to learn more relevant knowledge after you start working..."
"No, no." Xu Zhengyang quickly waved his hand to decline. Seeing that Zhao Qing was so serious, he decided to be honest. "Actually, I'm quite busy. I'm going to resign from the joint police station of the two police stations in the next few days. I opened an antique shop in Fuhe City and can't spare the time."
Zhao Qing looked at Zhong Shan with some disappointment. Zhong Shan nodded with a wry smile, sharing Zhao Qing's disappointed and regretful expression.
Xu Zhengyang wanted to explain a few more words and express his gratitude, but just then, the county record in his mind suddenly reminded him: Zhan Xiaohui is critically ill and will not make it.
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang pretended to take out his phone to check, as if he had received a text message, and said anxiously, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I have something urgent to attend to, I have to go now. Next time, next time I'll treat you two to dinner again, really..."
Zhong Shan was somewhat displeased. What was the matter that made him so eager to leave? The person who invited him to dinner was the director of the county public security bureau!
Before he could say anything, Zhao Qing laughed and said, "Okay, go ahead if you need to, it's alright."
Xu Zhengyang said a few more polite words, full of apologies, and hurriedly left the private room.
When leaving the Gulou Hotel, Xu Zhengyang paid the bill for the private room at the front desk. It was only a few hundred yuan. His sudden departure had already made Director Zhao and Zhong Shan lose face, so he had to show his appreciation.
We have no choice but to leave. We can't wait until Zhan Xiaohui's body is completely dead; that would make things difficult.
Volume 2, Gong Cao, Chapter 79: Chen Chaojiang Released from Prison
Before we knew it, after that light rain, the weather turned cooler...
Around ten o'clock in the morning, Xu Zhengyang, dressed casually in a light-colored shirt and covered with a thin blanket, sat leaning against the bed, with a quilt and pillow behind him, holding a copy of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and reading it absentmindedly. On the old brown desk beside the bed, it was wiped clean, with a few books stacked on one corner; next to the desk, there was a bunch of elegant gladiolus flowers and a glass of plain water.
Wearing a light blue casual tracksuit, Li Bingjie sat at the table, her arms propped on the surface, holding a copy of "Five Thousand Years of Chinese History" in her hands. Her head was slightly lowered, and she was engrossed in the book. A faint blush graced her delicate, fair cheeks, and her ponytail hung to one side, partially obscuring her face. Her long eyelashes curved playfully upwards…
Unable to settle down to read, Xu Zhengyang turned his head to look at Li Bingjie, who was still so beautiful, a beauty that calmed the mind.
"Sigh." Xu Zhengyang sighed.
This wasn't a visit to a patient like myself. They didn't say a word. They didn't even bother to look at me. Xu Zhengyang was almost certain that the bouquet of flowers wasn't bought by her, but rather by Li Chengzong.
That evening, after being resurrected by Cheng Jinchang at the county hospital, Xu Zhengyang returned home exhausted and fell ill.
He had a high fever, a really bad one.
Occasionally, when Xu Zhengyang awoke from his deep coma, doubts and worries would creep into his heart. Was this punishment from Heaven for violating the heavenly rules? Would it lead to his death? This dizzy, throbbing headache made him wonder if he was going to die.
It was already late at night when the high fever started. Xu Zhengyang's painful groans in his unconscious state woke his parents. In a panic, his parents hurriedly knocked on Han Dashan's door and woke Han Dashan up so they could drive Xu Zhengyang to the county hospital that very night.
After staying in the county hospital for three whole days, Xu Zhengyang's fever finally subsided, and he was discharged to recuperate at home.
It's been a week now.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang has basically recovered, but due to his mother's repeated strict demands, he is not allowed to go out and must obediently lie in bed to recuperate.
Li Bingjie's sudden arrival today, carrying a bouquet of flowers, clearly indicated that she knew Xu Zhengyang was ill. This didn't surprise Xu Zhengyang too much; given how much his family cared about him, it wouldn't be difficult for them to find out about his illness. Even though there were no longer anyone monitoring or following him, they could still keep an eye on him and inquire about his whereabouts.
Li Bingjie returned the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" that she had borrowed from Xu Zhengyang last time, and is now reading "Five Thousand Years of Chinese History" that Xu Zhengyang bought in his spare time a few days ago.
Since entering the room, Li Bingjie has not uttered a single word.
What was unusual was that the first thing she did when she looked at Xu Zhengyang after entering the room was a hint of concern that was clearly noticeable, and she handed him the bouquet of flowers. After that... her gaze returned to its ethereal indifference, and she quietly sat down at the table, picking up a book and starting to read.
Even though Yuan Suqin, out of courtesy, entered the room, said a few polite words, and poured a glass of water, Li Bingjie still didn't respond. She just quietly read her book. Fortunately, Li Chengzong, the bodyguard who was now somewhat familiar with Xu Zhengyang, expressed polite thanks on Li Bingjie's behalf, and sat down in the outer room to chat casually with Yuan Suqin for a few words, while also explaining a few things on Li Bingjie's behalf.
"I'm fine now, don't worry," Xu Zhengyang said softly.
Li Bingjie turned her head, glanced at Xu Zhengyang indifferently, and then turned back to read her book.
"The people who came to monitor and follow me last time, were they sent by your family? Who were they? Your mother? Or your father?" Xu Zhengyang said casually, as if none of it mattered.
"Grandpa," Li Bingjie said, almost to herself. She turned her head away from Xu Zhengyang and uttered the two words softly.
"Oh..." Xu Zhengyang took out a cigarette and prepared to light one.
Li Bingjie turned her head and looked at him, her eyes vacant and indifferent, devoid of any emotion.
Xu Zhengyang smiled awkwardly, put the cigarettes and lighter back on the bedside table, and said with a smile, "I don't blame them, it's all for your own good."
Li Bingjie's lips curled up into a rare, barely perceptible smile before she returned to her indifferent demeanor.
"You said a few words when we were on the Great Wall, and I was very happy." Xu Zhengyang changed the subject, not wanting to bring up this somewhat awkward matter again.
Perhaps after hearing Xu Zhengyang's words, Li Bingjie thought of something, so she softly replied, "Mm."
"When can I visit your home?" Xu Zhengyang asked, rambling on about nothing in particular.
Li Bingjie looked at Xu Zhengyang for a while, then parted her lips slightly and said softly, "Grandpa said that there is freedom of religious belief, but superstition is illegal."
"Anything else?" Xu Zhengyang asked calmly, his eyes narrowed.
"You're doing well."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Your family is really strange..."
Li Bingjie didn't speak, she just looked at Xu Zhengyang indifferently.
The phone rang at an inopportune moment. Xu Zhengyang gave an apologetic smile, then answered it and put it to his ear. It was Zhong Zhijun calling: "Zhengyang. At noon, Chaojiang and Liu Bin will be released from prison."
"What?" Xu Zhengyang sat up abruptly, his squinting eyes snapping open, a rare look of excitement on his face. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Why would I lie to you? You notify Gangchuan and Haozi, and I'll call Zhou Qiang."
"Has their family been notified?"
"They should have notified them, but I'm not sure."
"Zhijun, don't go to answer it. It's not appropriate for you to do so."
"Nonsense, they were both framed. What's the big deal? Everyone knows that now," Zhong Zhijun laughed.
Xu Zhengyang was about to say something when he noticed that Li Bingjie had already stood up, holding "Five Thousand Years of Chinese History," and turned around to walk out gently.