Courtyard House: Home Alone

"So Dai Yunong would send him." Lin Yifan suddenly realized.

"Hard, and cold."

Tang Baolin stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of Nanluoguxiang with his cane. "That year he was thirty-six. Before killing Zhang Jingyao, he drank half a bowl of hot porridge at my house. After finishing the porridge, he wiped his mouth and said, 'Master Tang, may I borrow your way?' From beginning to end, he didn't smile once."

Lin Yifan imagined the scene: a winter night, hot porridge, a man about to commit murder. Chen Gongshu's calmness wasn't feigned; it was ingrained. This kind of person is the most difficult to deal with, yet also the easiest—just make him submit.

Lin Yifan picked up the cup of tea, which had already gone cold, but didn't drink it. He just stared at the tea leaves floating in the tea. "What are cold people most afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of the heat." Tang Baolin turned around, his cane tapping the blue brick floor with a dull thud. "But young master, there are two kinds of heat in this world. One is fire, which burns out quickly; the other is charcoal, which, when buried, suddenly burns your hand."

"Are you saying that Chen Gongshu still harbors resentment?"

Tang Baolin didn't answer directly, but walked to the window and looked at the old locust tree in the yard. The shadow of the tree was cast obliquely on the ground, like a gaping scar.

"In 1937, he retreated from Beiping, not because he was defeated by the Japanese, but because he was defeated by his own people."

Internal strife within the Military Intelligence Bureau led Dai Yunong to prioritize protecting the Shanghai district, abandoning Beiping. Chen Gongshu deliberately dropped the seal on the train platform—not accidentally, but intentionally.

"Is he venting his anger?"

"He's cutting off his own escape route." Tang Baolin's voice lowered, as if it came from a very distant place.

"During those seven years, all the informants, spies, and connections he had built in Beiping were wiped out overnight. Not by the Japanese, but by Dai Yunong. Guess who he hated more?"

Lin Yifan put down his teacup. This question didn't need an answer. A person like Chen Gongshu wouldn't wear his hatred on his sleeve; it would seep into his bones, calcifying year after year and becoming something harder.

"So Dai Yunong invited him out this time not out of nostalgia, but out of necessity. It's probably because their principal forced him to."

"Dai Yunong never does anything unless absolutely necessary."

Tang Baolin finally turned around, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes. "'Beiping District' is Chen Gongshu's lifeblood. Dai Yunong is returning his lifeblood to him so he can risk his life again."

Lin Yifan walked to the city defense map, his finger slowly moving along the line from Xizhimen to Nanluoguxiang. If Chen Gongshu were to arrive, his first priority would undoubtedly be rebuilding his intelligence network. And within that network, Tang Baolin was an indispensable node.

"Old man, you lent him passage to kill Zhang Jingyao back then. Does he still acknowledge that debt?"

Tang Baolin laughed, a laugh tinged with melancholy: "Young master, in the world of martial arts, favors are honored only when the time is right. When he was successful, I was Master Tang; when he was down on his luck, I was just an old man. And now he's about to be successful again..."

The old man paused for a moment, then said, "This account needs to be recalculated."

"How do I calculate it?"

"Let it air dry for now."

Tang Baolin walked back to the chair and sat down, picked up the cup of tea that had gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp. "When he gets to Beiping, the first thing he'll do is look for me. I won't see him and will make him wait. The longer he waits, the less he'll know about me, and the less he'll dare to make any rash moves."

Besides, don't I still have the 'Ghost' card?

Lin Yifan nodded thoughtfully. This was the style of a seasoned veteran: using stillness to control movement, and slowness to defeat speed. But there was a variable at the moment—Xu Zheng was still locked up in the dark room at the pharmaceutical factory, and the Kuomintang's face had already been torn off. Dai Yunong might not give Chen Gongshu much time.

"Sir, let's postpone the matter of the Military Intelligence Bureau for now. Let's focus all our efforts on handling the banquet the night after tomorrow, especially the security that day; we must ensure it's foolproof."

Lin Yifan tapped his finger heavily on the city defense map. "Add more sentries to Xizhimen, Fuchengmen, and Deshengmen. Also, every street and alley around the Tang residence needs to be watched."

Tang Baolin put down his teacup, twirling his cane in his palm: "Are you afraid the Military Intelligence Bureau will make a move at the banquet?"

"I'm not afraid of them taking action; I'm afraid they won't."

Lin Yifan turned around, his gaze falling on the old locust tree outside the window. "If Chen Gongshu arrives, it will be at least three days from now. But Dai Yunong isn't a patient man. Once the news of Xu Zheng's detention gets back, he'll definitely send someone else urgently. There aren't many capable people at the Beiping station, but we're not without them."

You mean…

"That group of kids from the Linli class, whom Dai Yunong has been raising for three years, should finally come in handy."

Tang Baolin's brows furrowed even more. The Linli Class was a special training class of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and its graduates were young, daring, and reckless—perfect for dirty work. If a few of them managed to sneak into the banquet, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"I'll allocate the manpower."

The old man stood up, the hem of his dark blue robe sweeping across the chair legs. "Xingyi School still has forty-seven disciples in Beiping; we'll send them all out the day after tomorrow. Also, I've instructed Zhao Gang to select twenty strong men from the pharmaceutical factory to disguise themselves as shop assistants and infiltrate the guests."

"Not enough." Lin Yifan shook his head. "We also need the Red Party members. As for Zheng Shucheng, I'll have him lead a platoon of plainclothes men to provide cover, saying it's for the commander's safety. Qin Zhirong…" He paused, "I'll personally keep an eye on him."

Tang Baolin glanced at him but didn't press the matter. He had his own methods, and he'd figured them out over the past six months. Qin Zhirong, who'd returned from Moscow, had an impressive resume, but his methods might not stand up to scrutiny.

People who came from the purges are best at dealing with internal affairs, not external ones. Lin Yifan wanted to keep a close eye on him, not because he was guarding against the Military Intelligence Bureau, but because he was guarding against his own party members.

"One more thing. Have the banquet invitations been sent out yet?"

"I've already had them sent out. As you requested, every prominent figure in the city has been included."

Tang Baolin's cane stopped in mid-air: "Is Huaijin trying to lure the snake out of its hole?"

"The snake is already outside the hole."

Lin Yifan placed the invitation on the table. "Xu Zheng was detained three days ago, but the Beiping station hasn't reacted at all. This isn't patience; they're waiting. Waiting for instructions from the Military Intelligence Bureau, waiting for Dai Yunong's approval."

"So you sent them the invitations, forcing them to make a decision?"

"Force them to show their weakness."

Lin Yifan's fingertips lightly traced the edge of the invitation. "If those people come the night after tomorrow, it means they're cutting ties with the Military Intelligence Bureau; if they don't come, it means they're guilty. Either way, it's in our best interest."

Tang Baolin slowly sat down, his withered fingers stroking the dragon head of his cane for a long time. This young man's mind was as deep as a well; if you threw a stone in, you wouldn't hear an echo for a long time.

"Xiao Fan, let me say one more thing."

The old man finally spoke, "That former deputy mayor surnamed Feng operated in Beiping for fifteen years, climbing from police chief to deputy mayor, all thanks to his shrewdness and resourcefulness."

This kind of person doesn't easily take sides, nor does he easily switch sides. Pushing him too hard might backfire.