Surprise! The rough husband is the hidden boss of the period literature

Chapter 365: Human or ghost?

What exactly does the Lu family want to do?
Lu Ranglian went to prison, and many things did not involve Lu Zongsheng, so naturally, those things did not involve him either.

After the start of spring, a large patch of peonies in the backyard turned green, while a small patch remained completely still.

When the aunt mentioned this matter, she said that she should thin out the seedlings. Lu Zongsheng became suspicious and ran to the backyard to take a look. His heart skipped a beat.

He chose this courtyard by chance, discovering a large basement in the backyard, which was perfect for hiding something.

As night deepened, Lu Zongsheng dug open the door leading underground. When he went down there, everything went black, and he almost fainted.

He fared better than Jiang Zhenguo; he didn't actually faint, but he coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled around on the ground, finding it completely empty.

"Fine, fine. I pride myself on being ruthless and unmatched by anyone, but I never expected there to be someone even more ruthless than me."

All those gold bars, jewels, antiques, calligraphy and paintings—his life savings, the things he had painstakingly acquired—had vanished without a trace.

There wasn't even a single ventilation hole underground. People would suffer from oxygen deprivation if they stayed inside for a long time. Lu Zongsheng searched repeatedly, pounding on the earthen walls with a shovel, even burying himself alive inside, but he still couldn't find a way out.

But he goes home every day. If someone really took the treasure away, it would require at least a vehicle and people to carry it. It's impossible that he wouldn't know anything about it.

Vanished without a trace!

It disappeared without a trace!
Lu Zongsheng's actions were utterly incomprehensible.

He also remembered what the Jiang family had lost during their large-scale citywide search.
The next day, Lu Zongsheng risked being suspected and implicated to meet with Jiang Zhenguo.

Jiang Zhenguo had no idea that Lu Ranglian played a crucial role in his reunion with Mana Chika more than ten years ago. It was Lu Ranglian who personally pushed Mana Chika in front of Jiang Zhenguo, fulfilling their longing for each other amidst the misty rain.

“You made a mistake, and my son made a mistake too. To this day, I still can’t believe that you would make such a mistake. This is a mistake of principle. How could you make such a mistake?” Lu Zongsheng’s words were half true and half false.

Jiang Zhenguo believed him, because he was genuinely repenting.

Betraying his own beliefs was an unforgivable mistake for him.

"I was wrong!" Jiang Zhenguo closed his eyes, not wanting to say a word.

“Zhenguo, tell me the truth, was that the only thing you lost before that was that letter?” Lu Zongsheng asked.

Jiang Zhenguo opened his eyes and glanced at him, but said nothing before closing them again. Lu Zongsheng saw the answer in that glance.

He was shocked. "Zhenguo, do you know who it was? The Lu family also lost a lot of things the next night, and someone even left a letter on my bedside table."

Jiang Zhenguo was shocked. "Who is this person who appears and disappears like a ghost?"

Lu Zongsheng stood up. "What's the use of saying all this now that things have come to this? A mistake is a mistake. Reflect on your mistakes and don't let down the organization that has nurtured you for so many years."

As Lu Zongsheng emerged from prison, he stood in the sunlight. He had considered countless possibilities and felt that, from any perspective, no one could possibly move the treasures from that basement without a sound.

But that's just how strange things are.

Even if they were fast asleep like that night and someone sneaked in, what about the neighbors? If they were moving things, such a loud noise would inevitably alert the neighbors on both sides.

Also, when exactly were they shipped out?
There wasn't a trace left in the backyard. One of his men came over and whispered to Lu Zongsheng, "Sir, we've found out a clue. The reason Jiang Zhenguo sent Jiang Chengxu to Yanshi was because Jiang Chengxu knew about the existence of those letters beforehand, but unfortunately, it was too late."

All those letters were taken ahead of time.

Lu Zongsheng also lowered his voice, "How were those letters eventually delivered to the organization?"

The man said, "Jian Jingchuan obtained it from Japanese spies."

This doesn't make sense. If Chinatsu Mana is a Japanese spy, they wouldn't need to take such a big risk to infiltrate the Chiang family to retrieve those letters, because Chinatsu Mana would definitely have more compelling evidence in her possession.

"Go see Jiang Chengxu and see what he can say?"

"Yes!"

Jiang Chengxu was taken back to Shanghai by his mother. The spacious house they used to live in was taken back, and he lived in a single room allocated by Shao Qiyun's work unit.

The room was no more than five meters wide, but fortunately it was ten meters deep. It was divided into three sections. The innermost section, near the north window, was given to Jiang Chengxu. In the middle was Shao Qiyun's bed, and outside were buckets, washbasins, a folding table for meals, and other miscellaneous items.

Cooking takes place in the hallway outside.

The man sent by Lu Zongsheng was named Liu Qidong. He was a man in his thirties, about 1.78 meters tall, not very tall, with a crew cut. In late March, the weather in Shanghai was still a bit chilly. He was wearing a slightly worn Zhongshan suit, and his demeanor revealed the unyielding edge of a soldier.

No matter how calm this person was, the moment he saw Jiang Chengxu, an undisguised look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Jiang Chengxu seemed to have gotten used to it. He had extensive burns all over his body, his facial features were distorted in the fire, and his throat was ruined by smoke. In fact, even his own mother didn't recognize him anymore.

He survived by the skin of his teeth and never looked in a mirror, but from the reactions of everyone who saw him, he could imagine what he looked like—neither human nor ghost.

“We have learned from Jiang Chengshu that you said you had a secret to tell Comrade Jiang Zhenguo, which is why he sent you to Yancheng. Could you please tell me what secret you have?”

Liu Qidong was a master of psychological warfare. He didn't mention Jiang Chengxu's burns at all, but instead made demands of him in a tone that implied Jiang Chengxu was very important.

Jiang Chengxu has now figured it out: the person who died was Qu Qiongfang, the one who set the fire was Xu Manman, but the person he hates the most is Xu Qinghuan.

If it weren't for Xu Qinghuan, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation today.

He kept reliving that dream. In the dream, he was in a high position, all-powerful and imposing. Every day when he came back, Xu Qinghuan would serve him very well, and Xu Manman would also be very obedient to him. No matter what he asked for in bed, Xu Manman could satisfy him.

She even went to learn to dance for him.

"You want me to tell you?" Jiang Chengxu was indeed satisfied with this feeling of "being needed." He grinned ferociously, his face like a ghost crawling out of hell in the dark night.

Liu Qidong lowered his eyes, concealing the disgust in them, and said in a very calm voice, "Comrade Jiang, you can make demands of us, but I hope you will not withhold any information from us."

Jiang Chengxu spread his hands, but his movements were very stiff. Many of his nerves had been burned out, and his movements had a sluggishness like a zombie, making him look clumsy and ugly.

“Threaten me? What do you think you can use to threaten me in this state?” His voice was hoarse like an owl in the winter night, with a painful echo.

Chapter 363, "Ambition," has been edited and unlocked. Those who haven't read it yet, please go back and check it out. There's an extra chapter today. Just a reminder that the locked chapter has been unlocked.

It will be completed in June.