Chapter 038: Who Isn’t a Master of Drama

The train arrived at the station, and the one who came to pick him up was Aoki Seigen’s fourth younger brother, currently a second-year student at the Army University. Only the third and fourth brothers in the family were in the military, and the fourth brother’s closeness to the third stemmed from their shared interests—they were both army men, after all, real brothers, and the third was his senior.

Upon reaching home, most of the family had already gathered. It turned out that Uncle Aoki Ichiro had summoned everyone back under the pretext of commemorating Aoki Nobumasa’s death anniversary.

According to what the fourth brother had said on the way, this was the fourth year of the memorial—neither early nor late, and rather odd. Why go to such lengths for something so inexplicable, especially now when the whole of Kyushu and even all of Japan were suffering economically? Couldn’t they save a little? Coming back had put a dent in his study time.

In fact, before even stepping inside, Chen Jiehua sensed the atmosphere around the house. The cold was bitter, but not a single bird call could be heard. Does he think I’m a fool? In ancient China, this was common knowledge!

But Chen Jiehua had confidence and wasn’t worried about any tricks.

As soon as Aoki Seigen entered, Aoki Ichiro warmly approached, grabbing Seigen’s right hand, leading him toward the family hall, his thumb stroking it as they walked.

If it were the old Chen Jiehua, he either wouldn’t have cared or, if he did notice, would simply be disgusted—why would a grown man caress his wrist?

But now, Chen Jiehua knew exactly what he was doing and didn’t resist, cooperating by pretending not to notice, letting himself be led all the way to the hall.

Given Chen Jiehua’s acute senses, there were at least six heavy breaths behind the hall! Quite the arrangement.

Chen Jiehua remained composed, continuing to feign ignorance—everyone's an actor, after all.

After completing the memorial rituals, Chen Jiehua left the hall and went to visit Aoki Seigen’s mother, Kanako Shimazu. In Aoki Seigen’s memory, his mother was his only true concern.

After chatting with her, Chen Jiehua insisted on giving Kanako Shimazu a bundle of yen.

At that moment, Chen Jiehua pondered: ordinarily, when a successful family member returns home, should—or could—they give money to the clan leader? He genuinely didn’t know!

So he dared not give any! If the etiquette was wrong, it might backfire. But giving money to his mother was free from such concerns.

After lunch, Chen Jiehua returned to his (Aoki Seigen’s) room to sleep! Today, he could truly relax here.

In a room behind the shrine, Aoki Ichiro confirmed once again with the portly man behind him: this was indeed the clan’s direct descendant, Aoki Seigen! No mistake.

“According to the clan leader’s secret ledger, Aoki Seigen’s mark has been verified!”

“What if he knew the secret mark of the Aoki family’s third generation, and copied it temporarily?”

“That’s impossible! Even the descendants themselves don’t know where the mark is on their bodies! And each direct descendant has a different mark! He couldn’t copy someone else’s mark to forge his own!”

The man was indeed Aoki Seigen; the portly man could rest assured. But was Aoki Nobumasa’s death truly caused by heart disease? That needed to be checked by finding the two guards who were present at the time, asking about the circumstances, and reevaluating.

Moreover, the disappearance of Chinese student Chen Jiehua, and the disappearance of Kawamoto Daisaku, were all connected to him! There was definitely something amiss. I will investigate thoroughly.

December 18, 1928 (Year 17 of the Republic), Port Arthur.

Late at night, three short knocks and two long ones awoke Zhou Yongsu. Through the specially-made peephole, he confirmed it was only Liu Junze, and hurriedly opened the door.

“Yongsu! The entire Manchurian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party has been arrested! Contact Aoki immediately, find a way to rescue them! I can’t reach anyone by telegram!”

Once inside, Liu Junze quickly closed the door, speaking urgently. Zhou Yongsu was stunned—everyone arrested? Was he joking? But after a moment's thought, in the dead of winter, freezing cold, and in the middle of the night, Liu Junze had rushed over from Fengtian, surely suffering greatly.

“How did this happen? Everyone? How many? When did it occur?”

“Pour me a cup of hot water first—I’m freezing!”

After Liu Junze drank and steadied himself, the two discussed the situation. A few days earlier, the Manchurian Provincial Committee had secretly held an expanded meeting at a party member’s home in Fengtian. Whether the information was leaked or someone betrayed them, the meeting was raided; only one Youth League secretary escaped, the other thirteen were all captured and held in the Fengtian Police Bureau’s prison!

“I found out yesterday—it was a joint operation by the Japanese Special Agency and the Fengtian Police Bureau! The prisoners are still in the police bureau!”

“This is serious! We can’t reach Aoki, Zhao Shiyu went to Shanghai and hasn’t returned! Who am I supposed to contact? Am I supposed to go to the teacher?”

“I received the news and couldn’t think of a solution—didn’t dare use the phone, couldn’t take a car, had to run over to discuss countermeasures with you!”

“Don’t panic! Calm down! Panicking won’t help! As Aoki taught, we must stay calm; only a calm mind can devise effective strategies. Let me get you some food.”

“Let's start by analyzing the situation.”

“Currently, thirteen people are arrested and held at the Fengtian Police Bureau, right? But that’s just the intelligence you gathered two days ago—we have no idea what’s happened since then.”

Liu Junze, nearly finished eating, held half a cold bun, watching Zhou Yongsu.

“To save thirteen people—not just one!”

“What do we have? The two of us have some medicine and a little cash!”

“No, we also have a radio, and all our safehouses have guns!”

“We have guns, we have guns! Do you think saving people is just about having guns? The two of us? Storming in?”

“To rescue people, you first need manpower—then guns, money, and connections!”

“We have no one! And the people we need to save are Reds—we can’t ask the Japanese, nor your Young Marshal. You said it yourself: this was a joint operation by the Japanese Special Agency and the Fengtian Police Bureau. So, our first step is to contact Zhao Shiyu.”

The two quickly agreed: send a telegram to Zhao Shiyu.

Beep beep... beep... beep beep beep beep...

In Shanghai, Zhao Shiyu had just seen off Chen Jiehua. Upon decoding the telegram, he was stunned!

He’d been away from Manchuria for less than two months, and such a crisis had arisen! He hurried to report to the leadership. The directive: do everything possible to rescue them!

“Shaomazi has already arrived in Manchuria. Comrade Zhou Yongsu should first ascertain the comrades’ detention location, security strength, whether there has been torture, and the surrounding transport routes. You must return to Port Arthur immediately, meet up with Shaomazi, and together devise a rescue plan!”

“Yes, Comrade Leader. According to Comrade Chen Jiehua’s arrangement, this radio will be left with the organization, along with spare parts and the codebook. The box of life-saving penicillin under the bed, you...”

“Enough, Comrade Zhao Weigang, I understand. Stop fussing. Send the telegram and return at once!”

“Alright!”