Break out of the courtyard

Chapter 864 Times have changed

"Lin Ercai, nicknamed Lin Laoer, originally rented Courtyard No. 6 on the north bank of Houhai Lake. On the morning of February 1963, 2, Lin Ercai's body was discovered in an ice hole in Houhai Lake by an early riser fishing. Because Lin Ercai had noticeable bruises on his face, the Houhai District Police Station immediately launched an investigation."

None of the people in the conference room questioned why a person died in Houhai and why the police station in Houhai decisively launched an investigation on the same day.

"Zhang Lin, nicknamed Old Husband, rented the same apartment as Lin Ercai, Courtyard 6, North Shore, Houhai. An hour after the Houhai police station launched an investigation, he was found dead under Yinding Bridge. There were noticeable bruises on his face, but the cause of death was freezing to death!"

"In addition, Zhang Lin had a large amount of cash on him, and like Lin Ercai, his blood contained a high level of alcohol."

"Hu Youde, nicknamed Eighth Master, originally lived in Nanguan Hutong..."

As the projection screen showed the photo of Mr. Hu and his men who died in the room, discussions gradually began to arise in the conference room.

An old man in a military coat frowned and asked, "Xiao Zheng, are you sure these profiteers don't have any external injuries on their bodies, and there are no signs of a fight in the house?"

The middle-aged man in black, who was in charge of presenting the case, pressed the remote control, and a report of the investigation was displayed on the projection screen. He replied solemnly:

"According to the police station's investigation records and the information in the autopsy report, it can be confirmed that Hu Youde and others who died in the house all died of carbon monoxide poisoning. There were no suspicious external injuries on their bodies."

The old man in the military coat pressed the issue, "What do you mean by no suspicious injuries?"

The middle-aged man in black answered truthfully: "Among these deceased, some had old injuries, and some had new injuries that were not caused during the incident on February 2th or 13th."

The old man in the military coat continued, "The photo you just showed us showed that the room was in a mess. Were there any signs of a struggle?"

The middle-aged man in black used the remote control to return to the previous photo of the room and explained, "I mentioned earlier that the large amount of money on Zhang Lin might have come from Hu Youde."

"Hu Youde's banknotes were suspected to have been deliberately scattered inside and outside the courtyard, which triggered the scramble that occurred in Nanguan Hutong on the morning of February 2th."

"I'm asking you..." The old man in the military coat spoke again impatiently, but the old man in gray next to the middle-aged man in black frowned and stared at him, forcing him to shut up.

The middle-aged man in black paused for a moment before continuing, "The photo you see is the firsthand footage taken by police officers from the police station after they arrived at Hu Youde's yard and drove away those who were trying to steal money, tickets, and supplies."

"In other words, the scene was vandalized by those fighting over money and supplies, so we can't be sure if there were any signs of a struggle inside the house!"

"Why don't you just say that the scene was damaged? Why go around in such a big circle?" The old man in the military coat muttered to himself.

The middle-aged man in black wanted to continue explaining, but was stopped by the old man in gray next to him.

"Today's meeting isn't about gathering everyone to solve the case," the gray-robed elder said slowly. "According to subsequent investigations, Hu Youde and his gang are responsible for at least 11 deaths, so their deaths are not a pity."

An old man in a black woolen coat frowned and asked, "Are you going to investigate the case of He Yuzhu freezing to death under the Yinding Bridge?"

The gray-robed old man said calmly, "Investigating cases is the job of criminal investigators, and sentencing is the job of the courts. We must continue to build a society ruled by law and treat every case fairly, justly, and with reason and evidence."

After he finished speaking, the old man in gray gestured to the secretary beside him.

Then, the middle-aged man in black retrieved the information about He Yuzhu's case and projected it onto the screen.

"He Yuzhu, nicknamed Shazhu, rented a room in the west wing of the central courtyard of No. 95. On the morning of December 12th of last year, he was found frozen to death under Yinding Bridge."

"The autopsy report revealed a broken leg, suspected to have been caused by a fall from a height on the evening of December 12th. This was also the key point that led the city police to suspect Consultant Zhang of murder."

The old man in the military coat frowned and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

"No!" the middle-aged man in black said, pulling up another transcript. "This is the interrogation transcript of Consultant Zhang conducted by the Municipal Bureau's criminal investigation personnel."

"According to Consultant Zhang's answer, He Yuzhu came to the door late at night on the 27th, hoping to ask Consultant Zhang to treat the trembling and weakness in his hands caused by a stroke. However, Consultant Zhang refused due to a childhood grudge and had his bodyguards chase He Yuzhu away on the spot."

"After that, Consultant Zhang stayed at home until 28 a.m. on the 5th, when he went out for morning exercises."

"Regarding the City Police Department's criminal investigation officers' questions about Consultant Zhang getting up so early for morning exercises, we verified this with Professor Hua, Professor Li, and relevant personnel from Shenzhen Peace College, and learned that Consultant Zhang usually goes out for morning exercises at 5 a.m."

At the signal from the old man in gray, Secretary Zheng in black stepped aside.

"I'm sure everyone knows Consultant Zhang's identity and his influence both domestically and internationally, so I won't elaborate further." The gray-robed old man looked around at the attendees and said slowly:

"I've called everyone here today to discuss the debate over reform and opening up that was sparked by Huangfu Ping's article last year..."

The turn of events in this topic was quite significant, but most people present only thought about it for a moment before turning their attention to the men in suits and tweed coats. There was still a great connection between the two.

……

After the birthday party, Zhang Heping first received a call from Huadu asking about his schedule for this month, which made Zhang Heping a little confused.

Not long after, the Shenzhen government called again, asking if Zhang Heping could return to Shenzhen as soon as possible, saying that they had something to discuss.

When Zhang Heping first heard about this, he thought they had heard some rumors and wanted him to leave the capital as soon as possible.

For this reason, Zhang Heping also sought confirmation from Mr. Hua.

The answer he got was to let Zhang Heping and his family go back to Shenzhen with him early the next morning.

There was no other way, so Zhang Heping had to briefly talk to those Hong Kong businessmen, and the next day he took his wife and children on a plane to Shenzhen.

When they returned to Shenzhen Peace College, secretarial staff from Huadu and Shenzhen government offices were already blocking the gate.

Because the Shenzhen Peace Academy has not yet been lifted from the lockdown, it is difficult for outsiders to enter the fully guarded Shenzhen Peace Academy.

Even when Zhang Heping came back, he did not take the initiative to invite the two secretaries into the college, but asked them why they came at the door.

"Is your leader coming to inspect this month?" Zhang Heping looked at the middle-aged man who rushed over from Huadu. Seeing the complex expression of solemnity, hope and excitement on his face, Zhang Heping vaguely guessed who was coming to Shenzhen.

However, Zhang Heping was not in a position to express his opinion on the spot. He needed to consider Mr. Hua's feelings, even though the decision to return to Shenzhen today was proposed by Mr. Hua yesterday.

"Yes, Consultant Zhang!" Huadu Secretary said hurriedly, "It will probably be late this month, but the exact date won't be confirmed for a few days."

"It's quite a coincidence!" Zhang Heping pointed at the six fully armed guards guarding the entrance to the academy and said to the secretary of the Shen Mansion:

"Secretary Kong knows that the confidentiality level of our college and some factories was raised to top secret last year. Even I can't bring anyone into the college or factory casually."

"Why don't you ask Mr. Hua about this and see how he arranges it."

The car that Mr. Hua was riding in had already entered the college. Where could these two secretaries go to ask him now?

After Zhang Heping finished speaking, he didn't give the two men time to react. He turned around and walked into the college, then got in the car and went home.

Later, it was only after Liu Yuan’s husband, Secretary Liang, came back that he was able to meet with Mr. Hua to discuss the matter.

"Consultant Zhang asked you to ask me?" Although Mr. Hua asked this calmly, his expression was not as gloomy as before.

Secretary Liang Kai nodded slightly and said, "Secretary Kong and the others only said that a leader would come to inspect, but didn't specify who would be coming. So, Advisor Zhang refused their request on the grounds of confidentiality, saying that they should ask for your opinion."

"Mr. Hua, you should have received the news that someone is coming over!"

Mr. Hua picked up the teacup without comment and drank it in small, leisurely sips.

After a moment, Mr. Hua said, "After all, he has been retired for many years, and this time he came mainly to inspect economic development."

"So, there's no need to go to the Peace Academy underground base and other military factories. What do you think?"

Secretary Liang felt overwhelmed. How could a small person like him dare to express his opinion on such a matter?

At the same time, he thought to himself that the gossip he had heard from the upper class before seemed to be about 50% true.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, avoiding the main point and asking instead, "Master Hua, we don't have any military factories in Shenzhen except for the underground base!"

"Can you go and see the Heping Group's companies, factories, and space launch base in Shenzhen?"

Mr. Hua thought for a moment and said, "The Heping chip factory hasn't officially started production yet, and the dust protection level requirements there are very high. If you want to visit the chip factory, you need to ask Consultant Zhang for his opinion."

Secretary Liang nodded hurriedly upon hearing this, "Then I'll go find Consultant Zhang now. Sorry to bother you with your rest!"

Mr. Hua said casually, "Go ahead!"

After the outsiders left, Secretary Chen, who had been standing nearby without saying anything, said with a smile, "Are you really going to stop them from going to Wucheng to see the aircraft carrier?"

"Stop it!" Mr. Hua swore, a rare outburst. "If I could have stopped him, would Advisor Zhang be treated as a murder suspect in the capital?"

Secretary Chen put away his smile and said seriously: "If you want to stop me, I can go to Wucheng to make arrangements now."

"Alright, you've already guessed what I'm thinking. Why bother pretending?" Elder Hua stood up helplessly. "Our main job right now is to secure Consultant Zhang's domestic projects. Everything else is just a small matter."

……

After Zhang Heping returned to Shenzhen Peace College, he went to the space capsule remote control center to check the recent experimental logs and results.

When Liu Yuan's husband, Secretary Liang, came over, it was already time to get off work in the afternoon. He happened to meet Zhang Heping who was going downstairs to go home for dinner.

"Over at the chip factory..." Zhang Heping paused for a moment after listening to Secretary Liang's retelling of Mr. Hua's words before saying, "Please tell me the visitor's height and measurements a week in advance so I can have dust-proof clothing custom-made."

"Thank you!" Secretary Liang hurriedly thanked him, "Thank you very much, Consultant Zhang, for supporting our reception."

"What's going on with Secretary Kong?" Zhang Heping changed the subject and said to Secretary Liang, who was standing beside him, "The confidentiality level has been increased here, and we've reported this to your government in advance. What is he doing with the people from the Huadu Secretary Office blocking the entrance to the academy?"

"People who don't know would think we have a big problem with Huadu!"

"This..." Secretary Liang hesitated, not knowing whether he should tell Zhang Heping about the internal problems in their secretarial office.

"Go back and tell your director about this and tell him I said it." Zhang Heping raised his right hand and waved it, stopping the other party from following him.

As for what Secretary Liang will say when he returns, that depends on whether he is willing to make progress. In any case, Zhang Heping will not deny what he says.

The next morning, Zhang Heping went to the Heping Chip Factory to inspect several batches of 28-nanometer chips that were in trial production.

The production of the Peace Chip Factory for the next year has been signed with major military factories and scientific research institutions in the mainland. The plan to upgrade smartphones needs to be postponed until the chip factory expands production.

After Zhang Heping inspected the chip factory, Secretary Liang from the Shenzhen Municipal Secretariat finally sent him the height and measurements of the visitors.

Although there was no list of visitors, Zhang Heping was able to determine that the person was coming based solely on his height data.

Then, something happened that made Mr. Hua both moved and amused.

After arranging the custom-made dust-proof suits, Zhang Heping said hello to Mr. Hua and ran to the wind tunnel in the Xishu Mountain area to check on the research progress of the aviation engineers at the Xishan Aircraft Manufacturing Factory.

Zhang Heping's thinking was very simple. Mr. Hua, Mr. Li, and Mrs. Zheng all supported him so much, but there were still people in the capital who sang a different tune from him. It was obvious that they were not of the same mind.

Therefore, he chose to avoid strategically and let his concubine Chen Shuting go to the social event at that time, and avoid the problem of the 120-year lifespan potion by the way!

After all, that person is older than Mr. Hua and is almost 90 years old.

At first, Zhang Heping thought about going to Wucheng because several factories there had more accumulated problems.

But when I thought about having to stop in Wucheng to travel from Shanghai to Huadu and Shenzhen, I gave up the idea of trying my luck there.

He didn't even plan to attend the Peace Group's annual meeting. He went into the mountainous area of West Shu, looking like he was escaping from reality, but in fact he was trying to show Mr. Hua that they were in the same group.

Time flies. This inspection, which was planned since New Year's Day this year, has quietly begun in Wucheng.

After Zhang Heping received a call from Mr. Hua at the security area of the wind tunnel, he learned that the old man had run to Wucheng without any principles and accompanied him to visit the Heping Diamond Factory, Battery Factory, Display Factory, Automobile Factory there, as well as the Wucheng Shipping Company that was preparing to build aircraft carriers and ships.

The purpose of Mr. Hua's call was simple: he hoped Zhang Heping could return to Shenzhen as soon as possible.

There were no extra words or explanations, but Zhang Heping understood that Mr. Hua had chosen to give in again.

This time, he made a concession for the better development of Zhang Heping and the joint venture under the Heping Group.

After putting down the microphone, Zhang Heping suddenly thought of the song "Unity is Strength" for no reason.

With mixed emotions, Zhang Heping returned to the wind tunnel and told a group of engineers that he would leave the next day.

Then, Zhang Heping stayed up all night with this group of people who were hiding in the mountains and working silently, and roughly answered many of their questions.

The next morning, Zhang Heping said goodbye to a group of yawning engineers, boarded a helicopter and flew straight to Shudu Airport.

When he saw the Shu capital made up of low buildings from the sky, and the emerging city made up of high-rise buildings above Shenzhen, a sense of change from the old cage to the new era arose spontaneously.

Especially when he got off the plane, a warm spring breeze blew over him, and the feeling was even more real...