Chapter 1601 The lingering ghost
Wang Baisuo said slowly and leisurely: "In terms of family property, one hundred Wangs can't compare to one finger of Young Master Li San, but in terms of class, Wang is an official, and no matter how powerful Young Master Li San is, he is still an official! Of course, it may not be higher than the people, but there are some things that the people can only listen to the officials’ arrangements.”
Hearing his tone, Xun Pengcheng seemed to have no scruples about Li Nai's identity, and even had a vague intention of overriding him. He couldn't help but be a little surprised at the moment: "Didn't Brother Wang take orders from Young Master Li San and come to contact me?" ?”
"Master Li San is not my boss, and he can't control me." Wang Baisuo shook his head and said, "I'm afraid Mr. Xun has misunderstood."
When Xun Pengcheng recalled that when the two met at the door just now, Wang Baisuo did not mention Li Nai's name. He only said that he came after receiving an order from the summit, but he thought differently. However, Wang Baisuo dared to say that Li Nai couldn't control him, which showed that he was definitely not an ordinary errand boy. Xun Pengcheng had previously guessed the yamen that Wang Baisuo belonged to, but he couldn't get it right after several guesses. He suddenly realized that he didn't know the identity of Wang Baisuo at all, but the tone of the other person's words made him vaguely unaware. Where does the fear come from.
"Then which yamen does Brother Wang work for?" Xun Pengcheng asked cautiously, his attitude now much more respectful than before.
"Do you really want to know?" Wang Baisuo did not answer his question immediately, but asked a question first.
Xun Pengcheng suddenly felt cold sweat pouring down his back, but after asking questions at this time, he could only force a smile and answer: "It will be easier to deal with the following things if we understand it. If Brother Wang finds it inconvenient, then that's okay. Don’t force it.”
"It's convenient, there's nothing inconvenient." Wang Baisuo said with a smile: "I'd like to teach Mr. Xun that I work in the Haihan Security Department! Danzhou is my jurisdiction!"
When Xun Pengcheng heard this self-introduction, he immediately trembled and almost fell off his stool. He finally understood why he always felt nervous in front of Wang Baisuo. It was because he had met an old enemy!
Xun Pengcheng suddenly felt like he was on the verge of tears. It was because of the Ministry of Security that he gave up his original job and left the prosperous capital city to make a living in other places. How could he finally get a little profile in Danzhou and even... Before the official settlement, the security department came to visit again. He quickly recalled the content of the conversation between the two of them just now, for fear of using words that might offend the other party. But after thinking about it, it seems that he didn't say anything wrong. It was the other party who mentioned Li Nai's visit to Danzhou first. Obviously, the Ministry of Security already knew about the telegram exchange between him and Li Nai. The difference was probably just a few details. ——This is probably why Wang Baisuo is sitting opposite him at this moment.
Xun Pengcheng swallowed hard, stood up, bowed his head to Wang Baisuo and said, "You're being rude! Brother Wang... Master Wang, don't take offense!"
"Sit down and say, don't be nervous. I came to see Mr. Xun today not to arrest anyone, but just to understand the situation." Seeing Xun Pengcheng's appearance, Wang Baisuo just smiled slightly and gestured for him to sit down first.
Xun Pengcheng sat back on the bench, his mind filled with images of his conversation with Xu Shiqi in Sanya. He really didn't understand why the Security Department kept staring at him. Could it be that he had some magnet or other attributes that could attract the Security Department's attention?
However, Wang Baisuo's words had a somewhat comforting effect, at least letting Xun Pengcheng know that he was not the subject of interrogation yet. He didn't want to end up as a prisoner in Danzhou after finally leaving Sanya.
Wang Baisuo reached into his bag, took out a dark sign and waved it in front of Xun Pengcheng: "Hey, see clearly, the Ministry of Security number plate. I am Wang Baisuo, director of the Danzhou Office of the Ministry of Security. I guarantee it is genuine."
"Yes, yes, you see clearly, Mr. Wang, please put it away!" Xun Pengcheng responded hurriedly. He has seen similar ID plates more than once, and he had seen enough when he was in Sanya. Moreover, the number plate of the man in front of me is also rimmed with gold, which is indeed worthy of the position of "director". As for the extent of Director Wang's authority and what the mission of this trip was, Xun Pengcheng no longer dared to ask any more questions.
At this time, the waiter came in with a food basket to deliver dinner, three meats, two vegetables and a pot of wine. Seeing this, Wang Baisuo said: "Then you eat first."
Xun Pengcheng didn't dare to neglect this old man. He quickly said that he was not hungry and that dinner could be postponed until later. He said that he quickly sent away the boy who delivered the meal.
"In that case, please ask Mr. Xun to tell me in detail about his experiences in the past few days since leaving Sanya. The more detailed the better." Seeing Xun Pengcheng insisting on talking first, Wang Baisuo agreed to his wish.
Xun Pengcheng was startled and wondered whether in addition to Zhang Jinbao's incident, he had also unknowingly gotten into other troubles? After leaving Sanya, I took a boat to Changhua, and then took the land route. I visited several farms and plantations on the way. Is this also prohibited?
But he didn't dare to think too much, let alone hide anything from Wang Baisuo. He could only tell the truth about his itinerary bit by bit, hoping that his cooperative attitude would prevent the other party from deliberately causing trouble for him.
Wang Baisuo was already a senior employee in the Ministry of Security. During the Danzhou assassination in 1631, he was already the person in charge of the Ministry of Security's field operations in Danzhou, and he played a major role in solving the assassination. Although he had the opportunity to be promoted to a higher position at the Sanya headquarters, Wang Baisuo chose to stay in Danzhou for no other reason than that he had already settled here and didn't want to move for the time being. After all, he responded to local calls and was considered a local emperor in this field. If he returned to Sanya, although he seemed to be promoted, his actual control authority would not be so free. Besides, he got along well with Mayor Zhang Xin in Danzhou, so there was really no need to leave here.
Of course, the order Wang Baisuo received this time did not come from Li Nai, but was directly issued by Security Minister He Xi. He Xi asked him to conduct a basic investigation on Xun Pengcheng and Zhang Jinbao before Li Nai arrived in Danzhou, at least to ensure that these two people would not cause personal danger to Li Nai. After all, Li Nai's identity is there, and there is no guarantee that some secretly coveting people will get it wrong. If something happens to Li Nai in Haihan, it will be extremely embarrassing for Haihan. He Xi was not sure whether the situation in Danzhou was true or false, so he asked Wang Baisuo to conduct an investigation first to ensure Li Nai's safety. As for business matters, that is not the responsibility of the Security Department.
In order to prevent Zhang Jinbao and Xun Pengcheng from colluding with each other, Wang Baisuo came to the inn to find Xun Pengcheng and at the same time sent someone to Zhang Jinbao's side. Although the probability of the situation that his boss was worried about happening was actually very slim, Wang Baisuo still did not dare to be careless in the slightest and still tried his best to investigate the matter. He didn't come alone, he also left several people standing guard at the back door of the inn, just in case. Xun Pengcheng spent most of the journey from Sanya to Changhua in the cabin and had little contact with outsiders, so he explained everything clearly in a few words. After arriving in Changhua, we switched to the land route and came into contact with more people. Wang Baisuo listened carefully and would interrupt to ask a few questions from time to time. Xun Pengcheng carefully recalled the situation of those days, fearing that if there were any omissions, Wang Baisuo would misunderstand them as concealing the situation.
From the time Xun Pengcheng hired carriages and horses in Changhua, Wang Baisuo began to ask more and more detailed questions. Not only did he carefully interrogate the people he had seen in the places he visited during the trip, he even did not miss the conversation between Xun Pengcheng and the coachman Lao Gao. Xun Pengcheng also felt this attention, and secretly thought that there might be some dirty business in the plantation over there. But these plantations are all formal business owners registered with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce. Apart from human trafficking, how can there be anything unclean?
But Xun Pengcheng was so intimidated by the power of the Ministry of Security that he didn't even dare to say a word, so he could only tell everything in detail. But it had been many days, and it was not easy to recall every detail of the journey, especially the conversation with the coachman Lao Gao. The two of them spoke at least hundreds of words in a day. How could Xun Pengcheng remember so clearly. However, this Wang Baisuo seemed to be a stickler for details. He asked extremely detailed questions. If he couldn't make it up before and after the conversation, he would ask Xun Pengcheng to repeat it again.
Xun Pengcheng didn't eat much after drinking with Zhang Jinbao at noon. At this time, he was hungry and tired, and his mind was getting increasingly weak. He was worried that his incomplete answer would offend Wang Baisuo, so he could only bite the bullet and continue to talk. , but his physical condition declined sharply.
Finally, Wang Baisuo heard the growl from Xun Pengcheng's stomach and took the initiative to interrupt the question: "It's better to eat something first and ask again later."
Xun Pengcheng felt relieved and quickly got up and asked the waiter to bring the food hot. In the end, he did not forget to ask the waiter to add vegetables and a pair of bowls and chopsticks. He also saw that Wang Baisuo probably really didn't want to deal with him, otherwise such a long interrogation would not have been conducted in the inn, but he would have been taken back to the Yamen for interrogation. This thought made him feel a little more relaxed. At least for the time being, he didn't have to worry about being suddenly charged with something.
Not long after, the waiter brought hot dishes and rice. Sure enough, he added two more dishes as he ordered, removed the wine, and replaced it with a pot of freshly brewed hot tea. Seeing that Wang Baisuo had prepared his own bowls and chopsticks, he stopped being polite to Xun Pengcheng and ate something together as a midnight snack.
Xun Pengcheng, however, was already very hungry. He only stopped after eating two large bowls of rice. After asking the waiter to remove the leftovers, Xun Pengcheng took the initiative and asked: "Master Wang, is that guy continuing what he just said before eating?"
Xun Pengcheng kept talking for about an hour, and finally talked about entering Danzhou City to stay and saying goodbye to the coachman Lao Gao. At this time, Wang Baisuo took the initiative to stop: "Okay, let's come here today. I will come back tomorrow. Then you can continue to talk about what happened next."
Xun Pengcheng was already thirsty. Of course he was eager to finish the work early and let the old man leave, so he quickly got up to see him off.
Wang Baisuo walked to the door and turned around and said: "Mr. Xun, what you said today is basically true. I hope you can continue to cooperate like this tomorrow and don't hide anything. Remember, remember!"
Xun Pengcheng quickly bowed and responded: "I don't dare, but I must tell the truth about what I know. Master Wang, please go slowly!"
After sending Wang Baisuo away, Xun Pengcheng closed the door, sat down and drank two cups of tea to moisten his throat. Only then did he realize that he was soaked all over, as if he had just been fished out of the water. Presumably it was because of the interaction with Wang Baisuo just now. I was so nervous during the conversation that I was sweating.
"What a powerful person!" Xun Pengcheng slowly recalled the content of his conversation with Wang Baisuo just now, and found that this person had a very strict mind. If there was anything wrong in his description, he would be caught by him. And he has an excellent memory. He can remember everything Xun Pengcheng said without taking notes.
Xun Pengcheng suddenly remembered that before Wang Baisuo left, he said that what he said was basically true, but this was just his own words. As a professional, he would certainly not be easily believed. So how did he judge the truth of what he said? Unless, he has other information sources as a comparison to verify Xun Pengcheng's words.
Xun Pengcheng suddenly realized something, and then slowly opened his mouth, but not even a sound came out.
Xun Pengcheng remembered that the coachman Lao Gao had mentioned to him on the way that his son-in-law was on duty in Danzhou and worked for the Ministry of Security. At that time, Lao Gao also invited Xun Pengcheng to meet his son-in-law after arriving in Danzhou, but Xun Pengcheng, who was afraid of causing trouble, actively refused. Could it be that it was just a coincidence that Wang Baisuo and the coachman Lao Gao happened to be the son-in-law? If this is true, it can perfectly explain why Wang Baisuo was so interested in the conversation between himself and the coachman Lao Gao on the way.
Xun Pengcheng could fully imagine that after saying goodbye to Lao Gao at the inn that day, the other party went to his son-in-law's home, and then talked about the various experiences he had experienced on the way to Danzhou for soliciting tourists. With Lao Gao's chatty temperament, he could tell his son-in-law every detail, and without even knowing it, he had already entered the sight of the Security Department. If there was something hidden in what he told just now, or if it didn't match Lao Gao's description, Wang Baisuo might not let him go so easily.
Thinking of this, Xun Pengcheng couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat. He had indeed tried to save trouble and wanted to skip some less important links, but in the end he was still afraid of trouble and said it honestly. If he wants to be clever, he will be taken back by Wang Baisuo for no reason.
Xun Pengcheng was frightened and regretted that he should have agreed to Lao Gao's invitation. After arriving in Danzhou, if he had followed him to meet Wang Baisuo for a while and established a little personal relationship, perhaps he would not have been so nervous today. So much so that my calves almost cramped several times.
(End of chapter)