Hidden Radiance

The drinking party at Cinque Terreux ended in the early hours of the morning.

Nine o'clock the next morning. Confidential Office.

Gu Yunqiu pushed open the door and came in, holding a black-covered account book. She placed it on Lu Minghui's desk.

"She Aizhen sent it here," Gu Yunqiu said. "It's from the Litai Money Exchange on Ningbo Road in the International Settlement. It contains Li Shiqun's smuggled black money and gold."

Lu Minghui opened the ledger, glanced at it, and closed it.

"Send it to Director Ding."

Gu Yunqiu picked up the account book, turned around and went out.

Ten minutes later, Ding Mocun strode in. His face was radiant, and his back was very straight.

"Brother Lu, I've received your generous gift." Ding Mocun pulled out a chair and sat down. "Ono-kun has already led his men to search and confiscate the goods. Li Shiqun has been completely drained this time."

"Where is Li Shiqun?" Lu Minghui asked.

"They ran away." Ding Mocun sneered. "They left the city last night and went to Nanjing. Lin Zhijiang went with them, without even taking his family."

Lu Minghui picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"He went to Nanjing to mourn Zhou Fohai and won't be back for a while." Ding Mocun leaned forward. "No. 76 is clean now. Brother Lu, I plan to remove Ye Yaoxian from the General Affairs Department; he's shady. You'll take over as the head of the General Affairs Department."

Lu Minghui put down his teacup.

"Director Ding, I'm already busy enough with the Confidential Affairs Department." Lu Minghui shook his head. "Section Chief Nakajima also has tasks to keep an eye on. I simply can't handle the General Affairs Department's affairs."

Ding Mocun looked at him. His smile remained unchanged, but he paused for a moment longer, placing his teacup on his knee.

"Brother Lu, this is a lucrative job. You've brought down Li Shiqun, you can't just give up everything."

"What I need is stability," Lu Minghui said calmly. "Director Ding taking back control is the best form of stability. As for Ye Yaoxian's position, just arrange for someone from your own circle. If you need the Confidential Office's cooperation, just let me know."

Ding Mocun stared at Lu Minghui for a few seconds.

He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put it down. As he put it down, the bottom of the cup rotated on the table, and the handle changed from pointing left to right.

"Brother Lu is a man of noble character and integrity. I will remember it in my heart."

Ding Mocun stood up and walked away with measured steps.

Mei's office, section chief's office.

Nanzo Yunko stood in front of the desk and reported the latest movements of No. 76 to Nakajima Shinichi.

"Li Shiqun fled to Nanjing. Ding Mocun took over the entire action team. He suggested that Lu Minghui concurrently serve as the head of the general affairs department, but Lu Minghui refused."

Nakajima held a fountain pen in his hand and signed his name on the approval book.

"He refused; that's the Minghui I know." Nakajima closed the approval book. "Very good."

Nanzo Yunzi remained silent.

Nakajima stood up, walked to the window, put his hands behind his back, and rubbed his thumbs together with his index fingers.

A military truck drove by on the street outside the window, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"The preliminary preparations for Project Sugi are complete. The next phase, the allocation of supplies and the issuance of Central Reserve Bank notes, will be handled by him." Nakajima turned around, his tone flat. "You continue to oversee the accounts."

"Understood." Nanzo Yunzi bowed slightly.

Number 76, a guest office on the third floor.

Shao Shijun sat on the sofa, sweat beading on his forehead.

Wang Shijin stood by the window, looking down at the courtyard. Thirty-six black-clad guards were lined up, and Lieutenant Yamashita was giving a speech.

"Mr. Wang, I was instigated by Li Shiqun before and caused trouble for Lu Minghui." Shao Shijun wiped his forehead. "He's free now."

The second half of the sentence was left unsaid, but the meaning was all conveyed on that deathly pale face.

Wang Shijin turned around and looked at Shao Shijun.

"Shao Shijun, you think too highly of yourself." Wang Shijin walked to the sofa. "If he wanted to kill you, you would be dead already."

Shao Shijun opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Wang Shijin didn't bother to look at him anymore and turned her gaze to the door.

"The infighting at No. 76 has subsided. Shinichi Nakajima's backyard is now secure, it's time to implement Project Sugi." Wang Shijin straightened his cuffs. "We didn't come to Shanghai to watch them put on a show."

There was a knock on the door.

Gu Yunqiu pushed open the door and stood in the doorway.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Shao. Commander Lu requests your presence." Gu Yunqiu's voice was cold. "Section Chief Nakajima has issued instructions for the second phase of Project Sugi. Please proceed to the Confidential Office for a meeting."

Wang Shijin stood up.

"Let's go." Wang Shijin glanced at Shao Shijun. "Don't keep Director Lu waiting."

Confidential Office.

Lu Minghui sat behind his desk. The cast on his left arm had just been removed two days ago and replaced with a black fabric sling, but the angle at which his elbow was bent was still not quite natural.

Nanzo Yunko sat on the sofa to his right.

Wang Shijin and Shao Shijun walked in. Shao Shijun followed behind Wang Shijin with his head down.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Shao, please have a seat." Lu Minghui gestured to the chairs opposite him.

The two sat down.

Lu Minghui pushed a document to the middle of the table.

"The second phase of the Sugi Project involves the full issuance of Central Reserve Bank notes," Lu Minghui stated bluntly. "Section Chief Nakajima has demanded that all businesses in the French Concession and the International Settlement accept Central Reserve Bank notes for settlement within one week."

Wang Shijin picked up the document and glanced through it.

"The foreigners and chambers of commerce in the concessions are very tough," Wang Shijin said. "Relying solely on the Black Dragon Society to disrupt things won't work."

"That's why I invited you two here." Lu Minghui looked at Wang Shijin. "You two are experts in financial warfare. Mr. Wang brought instructions from Nanjing, and Mr. Shao is familiar with banking operations. You can come up with the specific exchange rates and coercive measures."

"Director Lu," Wang Shijin said, closing the document, "we can come up with a plan. But its execution requires military support. If the police in the concession intervene, our people won't be able to get in."

Lu Minghui tapped the table with his right hand.

"Wan Molin will make arrangements with the police station," Lu Minghui said calmly. "As for military cooperation, Director Ding's action team and She Aizhen's guard battalion can be mobilized at any time."

Wang Shijin didn't respond to him. He put the document back on the table, tapped the cover with his fingertip, and didn't retract it.

"There's one more question," Wang Shijin looked up, "What should the exchange rate be?"

He didn't wait for Lu Minghui's reply and continued speaking on his own.

"The bottom line given by Nanjing is a 1:2 ratio, but the actual purchasing power of the legal tender and the Central Reserve Bank of China bonds in the Shanghai market is more than double. If we force a 1:2 ratio, even if the commercial banks don't protest, the ordinary people will."

Wang Shijin leaned forward an inch.

"If things escalate, the Municipal Council of the Concession will intervene, and the British and American consulates will put pressure on us. At that point, it won't just be a matter of a few guns from the police station; it will be a matter of international diplomatic notes." Wang Shijin stared into Lu Minghui's eyes. "Director Lu used Wan Molin to appease the police, and Ding Mocun and She Aizhen to provide the force. But the British and American consulates have issued diplomatic notes; who does Director Lu plan to use to deflect them?"

Nanzo Yunzi held her teacup, her gaze shifting from Wang Shijin's face to Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui's fingers remained motionless on the table. He looked at Wang Shijin and paused for two seconds.

"Mr. Wang, the diplomatic note from the British and American consulates was sent to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not the 76th Confidential Office." Lu Minghui's speech remained unchanged. "The diplomatic pressure will be borne by Tokyo."

He paused for a moment, then leaned forward half an inch.

"But Mr. Wang, Nanjing has set a bottom line of one to two, and you're here worrying about international diplomatic notes for Britain and the US." Lu Minghui's gaze fell on Wang Shijin's face. "I'd like to ask you a question—Mr. Wang, are you working for Nanjing or for the Municipal Council?"

Wang Shijin withdrew his fingers from the document cover. He withdrew them very quickly.

No one spoke in the office.

Nanzo Yunzi put down her teacup, glanced between the two of them, and remained silent.

The second hand of the wall clock moved three notches.

Wang Shijin smiled. It was a short smile, a quick twitch at the corner of his mouth that quickly faded.

"Director Lu has misunderstood. I'm just putting the difficulties on the table." Wang Shijin leaned back in his chair. "Solving the difficulties is Director Lu's job."

"I'll handle the difficulties." Lu Minghui withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to calm. "Once the Central Reserve Bank notes are issued, British and American trading companies in Shanghai will also need to use them. At that time, their own people will be using the Central Reserve Bank notes to do business, and the consulate's note will be nothing but a piece of waste paper."

He turned to look at Shao Shijun.

"Mr. Shao, you've worked in banking for over a decade. A 1:2 ratio is Nanjing's bottom line; the market can't sustain it. So find a figure that can." Lu Minghui looked at Shao Shijun. "Within three days, come up with a plan that will satisfy Nanjing without collapsing the market."

Shao Shijun shifted his position in the chair. He looked up, glancing first at Wang Shijin, and only when Wang Shijin showed no sign of stopping him did he turn to Lu Minghui.

"Director Lu, the exchange rate involves more than just numbers," Shao Shijun said, his voice slightly lower than before. "There's only one buffer—supplies. The amount of goods available on the market determines the face value of the Central Reserve Bank notes. If supplies don't keep up, they'll be worthless within three months."

Nanzo Yunzi's gaze swept over Shao Shijun's face from above the rim of the cup, then fell back on Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui glanced at Shao Shijun for two seconds.

"You don't need to worry about the supply of materials." Lu Minghui looked away. "You just need to sort out the exchange rate."

Shao Shijun nodded and shrank back into his chair.

Wang Shijin looked at Lu Minghui and placed his hands on his knees.

"What if a merchant refuses to comply?" Wang Shijin asked.

Lu Minghui withdrew his hand and rested his arms on the armrest.

"If you won't exchange the money, we'll change the people." Lu Minghui's voice was flat. "The Black Dragon Society and the Special Operations Team will teach them how to do business."

Wang Shijin stood up.

"The plan will be sent to the Confidential Office tomorrow morning."

"Where is Mr. Shao?" Lu Minghui asked Shao Shijun.

Shao Shijun stood up.

"The exchange rate will be released within three days."

Lu Minghui nodded.

"Go ahead and get busy."

Wang Shijin and Shao Shijun walked out of the office.

The door closed.

Nanzo Yunzi put down her teacup.

"Wang Shijin is not easy to deal with." Nanzo Yunzi looked at Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui didn't reply. He opened the drawer, took out the Guangda Huahang's material dispatch list, turned to the penicillin page, and pressed his thumb on the number.

"People who are difficult to deal with are the ones who are useful." Lu Minghui closed the list. "What's scary are people who are easy to deal with—you never know where they're hiding their real teeth."

Nanzo Yunzi's gaze paused for a moment as she looked at his thumb pressing on the list.