Chapter 63

At a banquet hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, Meng Xinliang overheard people laughing and chatting about how the officials from City Hall had invited the military governor for dinner the night before, only for the governor to almost beat them up. 

His attendant (maid) entered and whispered a few words to him. 

Seated at the head of the table, Meng Xinliang noticed that the prominent business figures were all watching his expression. 

He waved his hand and said to his attendant, “Let him cause a scene, just make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.” 

The attendant withdrew. 

After the meal, Meng Xinliang left the private room and asked his attendant, “Where is the young master?” 

“On the fourth floor.” 

“Is he drunk?” 

“Completely unconscious. But someone is taking care of him—Qingwan. She insisted on going,” the attendant replied. 

Meng Xinliang’s calm, gentle face showed no extra emotion. “Lead the way.” 

He went up to the fourth floor and, upon reaching the door, heard the sounds of a drunken man talking. 

When he opened the door, he saw Wen Weinian holding the face of the singer Qingwan, drunkenly mumbling to her in a confused state. 

“In this world, I’m the one who resembles him the most. You can think of me as him.” 

“First come, first served. Why did your heart change so suddenly?” 

“Those old-fashioned Governors, all they care about is territory, arms, and women. They have no ideals; they’re corrupt beyond belief. Why would you marry someone like that? Have you fallen so low?” 

The singer kept trying to soothe him, saying, “Young master, please take a rest.” 

Seeing this, Meng Xinliang ordered someone to take Qingwan out of the room. 

He called for a sturdy old maid to help Wen Weinian to the bathroom, where he threw up, and then arranged for him to sleep. 

“Go tell Qingwan,” Meng Xinliang instructed, “if even half a word of what she heard tonight escapes her lips, she needn’t speak again.” 

The attendant acknowledged the order. 

Wen Weinian continued to make a fuss until late into the night before finally falling asleep. 

The next morning, as Wen Weinian sat down for breakfast, Meng Xinliang came downstairs to find him. 

“Master Meng stayed here last night too?” Wen Weinian greeted him. 

Meng Xinliang replied, “This is my place. I sometimes spend the night here. How are you feeling? Any better?” 

“I caused you trouble.” 

“No trouble at all, it’s nothing,” Meng Xinliang smiled. “Have you made up your mind? Are you heading back to Beicheng, or following your father’s orders to stay and take the post?” 

Wen Weinian had caused a major disaster. 

The task his father had given him, he not only failed to complete but nearly provoked Sheng Changyu into raising an army and marching north. 

The Presidential Office had no choice but to admit defeat, wiping the slate clean on Sheng Changyu’s actions. 

However, Sheng Changyu’s military government couldn’t dominate completely, as sixty percent of political officials were appointed by Beicheng’s government. 

Naturally, officials adjusted their behavior based on power. If a local Governor was weak, they colluded and enriched themselves; if strong, they would shift allegiance. 

Right now, which of the officials in Sucheng wasn’t taking their cues from Sheng Changyu? 

After causing the disaster, Wen Weinian planned to return and regroup, but his father sent a transfer order instead. 

He was assigned to work at the government bank in the four eastern provinces, serving as an assistant director. 

Who didn’t know that the bank was Sheng Changyu’s private domain? 

Assigning Wen Weinian to work there was like forcing him to be Sheng Changyu’s lapdog. 

Even a special envoy would have more prestige. 

Furious, Wen Weinian sent three telegrams in protest, but the reply was simply: “If the task isn’t completed, there’s no need to return home.” 

In other words, he was to swallow his pride and continue searching for the whereabouts and evidence of the steamship hijacking by Sheng Changyu. 

“The President’s orders must be followed,” Wen Weinian said, lowering his eyes to hide his emotions. 

“How can you catch a tiger without entering its den? Your father is thinking long-term. Staying here is the right choice,” Meng Xinliang said. 

He added, “You’ve suffered such a major setback at Sheng Changyu’s hands. You’ll resent him for life. Why not finish the task properly, and then you can find peace?” 

Wen Weinian nodded. 

He added, “I will rely on Master Meng’s support in the future.” 

“You are a high-ranking official at the government bank. We will support each other,” Meng Xinliang said. 

With just a few words, Meng Xinliang had already won Wen Weinian over. 

The Presidential Office had sent this man right under Sheng Changyu’s nose, essentially planting a thorn in Sheng’s side, making him uneasy day and night. 

Meng Xinliang enjoyed this kind of situation. 

The four eastern provinces were not solely under Sheng Changyu’s control. 

Sheng Changyu was ruthless and dictatorial, even more difficult to deal with than the late Governor. In less than three years since taking office, Meng Xinliang had already felt the restraints. 

Even though they had previously stayed out of each other’s business, Sheng Changyu couldn’t tolerate anyone else shining in his presence. 

There needed to be someone to cause trouble and give Sheng Changyu a headache. 

“I was drunk yesterday. I didn’t say anything, did I?” Wen Weinian suddenly asked. 

He vaguely remembered seeing Ning Zhen. 

But Ning Zhen wouldn’t come here to see him—it must have been a mistake. 

He had clung to “Ning Zhen” and talked for a long time, but he didn’t know what he had said. 

“…A person came to serve you, and you said she had changed her heart. You threw a bit of a tantrum, but nothing serious,” Meng Xinliang replied. 

Wen Weinian’s expression changed slightly. He mumbled, “I was drunk, talking nonsense.” 

The two of them tacitly agreed not to discuss the matter further. 

After breakfast, Wen Weinian returned to his small house, which he had recently purchased. 

His mind was still replaying the events of that day. 

The day before the incident, Cheng Baisheng had someone search his office, but they didn’t take any top-secret documents. It was a deliberate provocation, and he knew it. 

Before going to the governor’s office, he had prepared for a confrontation with Sheng Changyu. 

However, when he saw Ning Zhen, his emotions completely spiraled out of control. 

He couldn’t control himself, becoming a puppet manipulated by his own anger. 

He shouldn’t have drawn his gun. 

When Ning Zhen pointed a gun at him, it only enraged him further, and he acted impulsively. 

That incident ruined three months of hard work, all for nothing. 

In his father’s eyes, he had left a terrible impression. 

His father’s decision to keep him here was, in its own way, a punishment. 

If it weren’t for the fact that his three younger brothers were still minors, his father might have had him killed. 

“…He Yang works as an engineer in a factory. He went to school with the governor’s wife and the young master.” 

The attendant continued, “He says that after the governor’s wife went to London, she fell in love with the young master’s younger brother, and the two were inseparable. Later, a fire broke out, killing the young master’s brother and two other girls. After that incident, the young master and the governor’s wife had a falling out and haven’t spoken since.” 

Meng Xinliang listened, pondering for a moment. 

“Have someone keep an eye on He Yang. See if anyone from the governor’s office tries to contact him,” Meng Xinliang instructed. 

“Should we bribe him?” the attendant asked. 

“Not for now. Let’s take it one step at a time,” Meng Xinliang replied. 

The attendant turned to leave, but as he reached the door, Meng Xinliang called him back. 

“Does He Yang have any relatives?” 

“He does.” 

“Summon him in secret. No one else must know,” Meng Xinliang ordered. “I have something to instruct him. Also, let it slip that He Yang went to school with the governor’s wife and the young master.” 

The attendant agreed. 

Meng Xinliang stared at a photograph of Annuo in the drawer, lost in thought for a long time. 

He couldn’t use Ning Zhen, not even for Annuo’s sake. 

Meng Xinliang looked at the photo for a while longer. He placed it in a frame and carefully wiped it down again. 

The key to this matter could lie with Wen Weinian alone.