Courtyard House: Home Alone

"So I left him a way out. I left a way out for those who didn't follow the Japanese in committing atrocities," Lin Yifan said.

Tang Baolin remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed, his laughter tinged with emotion: "Xiao Fan, in the past six months, you've turned Beiping upside down."

"not enough."

Lin Yifan walked to the window, gazing at the darkening sky. "In this game of Beiping, we've only just begun. Dai Yunong, Chen Gongshu, Qin Zhirong, and the remnants of the Japanese army lurking in the shadows are all waiting to see how we make our move."

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Tang Baolin: "Grandpa, the night after tomorrow, you will sit in the main seat. I will sit to your left, and the seat to your right will be reserved for Zheng Shucheng. Qin Zhirong…"

He paused, then said, "Have him sit across from me, at the table, so I can see his every expression."

"And what about Vice Mayor Feng?"

"Let him sit by the door," Lin Yifan's voice turned cold. "A seat he can see as soon as he walks in. Let him know that he can come to this banquet, and he can leave. Whether he can leave or not is up to his own fate."

Xia Yan's voice came from outside the window, informing them that it was time for dinner. Lin Yifan responded and turned to Tang Baolin, saying, "Grandpa, please stay for dinner tonight. I had Xinyi stew a three-year-old hen."

Tang Baolin stood up with his cane, his dark blue robe looking like an old piece of cloth in the twilight: "Qiuju, ah no, I should call her Xinyi now, this girl was skillful when she was in the Tang family, her skills should be pretty good, this old man is in for a treat."

As night fell, the lanterns in the east courtyard lit up one by one. Lin Yifan stood alone by the window, gazing at the old locust tree. Its shadow swayed, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground like a giant net.

The banquet two days later was the time to close the net.

That's when blood comes.

After Tang Baolin's footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor, Lin Yifan remained standing by the window. Dusk had fallen, and the outline of the old locust tree in the courtyard had blended into the night, with only a few new leaves remaining, pale in the dim light of the lanterns.

"Young Master."

Xia Yan's voice came from outside the door, as soft as a falling leaf. This girl changed her name, but not her old habits—she still liked to press her face against the crack in the door when announcing something, as if she was ready to back away at any moment.

"explain."

"We just received a message from the pharmaceutical company saying that Xu Zheng has been in the dark room for three days and can't take it anymore. He's willing to confess everything."

Lin Yifan turned around. Xia Yan stood outside the threshold with her hands at her sides, her indigo short jacket almost blending into the night.

"Okay, tell them not to ask, just make him write down everything he knows."

"Understood, young master, I'll pass on the message right away." With that, Xia Yan turned and left.

Meanwhile, inside the official residence in the foggy city, Dai Yunong stood respectfully before the bald man: "Principal, Chen Gongshu will not arrive in Beiping for at least three days, and their banquet is the night after tomorrow. What do you think...?"

"We can't wait any longer. We absolutely cannot let their cooperation come to fruition; it concerns the face of the Party-state and the strategic layout in the North."

The bald man slammed the teacup down on the table, the celadon striking the sandalwood with a dull thud. Dai Yunong lowered his eyes and watched as the tea leaves of the Biluochun tea slowly sank to the bottom, like a silent defeat.

How many people are still available at Beiping Station?

"Twelve students graduated from the third class of the Linli training program, and the fourth class is still in training," Dai Yunong said calmly. "But the old foundation of the Beiping station... the principal knows, it was scattered after Chen Gongshu's retreat."

"Even if it's fragmented, it still needs to be used."

The bald man stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the Jialing River stretched out in the night, a few fishing lights on the surface like scattered phosphorescence. "Xu Zheng was a top student in the first class of the Linli program; I personally wrote his evaluation. He's been detained for three days now, three days..."

He turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Yu Nong, three days is enough for someone to vomit up their entire lineage."

Dai Yunong straightened his back. He knew what the bald man meant. Xu Zheng knew too much, from the list of spies in Beiping Station to the dealings between the Military Intelligence Bureau and certain figures in the puppet regime. Once he spoke, years of planning in the north would be in vain.

"The students have been arranged."

"What are the arrangements?"

"Liu Quande, deputy stationmaster of Beiping Station, was a graduate of the second class of the Linli training program and served under Chen Gongshu for half a year."

Dai Yunong took out a coded telegram from his pocket and presented it with both hands. "This person is familiar with the layout of the Tang residence and also knows several Xingyi Sect disciples around Tang Baolin. The night after tomorrow, he will bring four people to infiltrate among the guests."

The bald man didn't answer the coded telegram; he just stared at Dai Yunong for a long time. This student had followed him for fifteen years, from the Special Service Department to the Military Intelligence Bureau, his mind as deep as a well. But at this moment, he saw fine beads of sweat on Dai Yunong's forehead—not out of fear, but out of anxiety.

"Four people?"

"A skilled workforce is not important; quantity is key. If gunshots are heard at the banquet, or explosions occur nearby, then this banquet..."

"How did you get the invitation from the Tang family?"

Dai Yunong's Adam's apple bobbed: "Principal, they thought that once the Japanese left, they would have everything under control, so they sent out invitations everywhere."

Furthermore, former Deputy Mayor Feng Jingquan... is still observing the situation.

The bald man suddenly laughed, a chilling laugh in his voice: "Watching and waiting? Yu Nong, do you know what those who watch and wait fear most?"

Dai Yunong bowed his head: "Please give your instructions, Principal."

"The worst thing is offending both sides."

The bald man walked back to the table, picked up the cup of Biluochun tea that had gone cold, but did not drink it. He just looked at the tea leaves floating in the soup.

"Feng Jingquan spent fifteen years in Beiping, climbing from police chief to deputy mayor, all by being opportunistic. When the Japanese came, he worked for them; when they left, he wanted to work for the Communists. People like that—" He slammed his teacup down, "deserve to die the most."

"The student means that it can be utilized."

How do I use it?

"Feng Jingquan possesses old archives on the defense of Beiping, as well as some classified documents that the Japanese failed to destroy before their retreat."

Dai Yunong lowered his voice, "The Red Party wants these things, and we want them too. He's observing because he's afraid of both sides and wants to please both."

If Liu Quande makes a move at the banquet the night after tomorrow, Feng Jingquan will be an accomplice; if he doesn't, he will be a witness—a witness to the Red Party's indiscriminate killing of innocent people and elimination of dissidents in Beiping.

After a long silence, the bald man suddenly asked, "Does Chen Gongshu know about this?"

"The student has not yet informed us."

"Don't tell them."

The bald man turned around, his gaze falling on the map of the Northern Expedition period on the wall. "I know Chen Gongshu. After what happened in 1937, he hated you more than he hated the Japanese. You had no choice but to send him to Beiping; he had no choice but to go. You two were both putting on an act."

Dai Yunong's knuckles turned slightly white, but his voice remained steady: "Principal, you are wise to see the truth."

"But I don't care what kind of play you're putting on."

The bald man traced a dotted line across the map, from Nanjing to Beiping. "We can give the North to the Japanese, but not to the Red Party."

We've withstood the Japanese's most frenzied attacks, and the United States will increase its aid to us. The next step is to slowly reclaim our lost territory. Remember this.