Chapter 17: The Wrong Path (Part 1)

  Things were quickly cleared up, and the final result left Fang Zidao crying with laughter. This so-called "Blood Light Group" was completely fabricated, and it was all because of Liang Shiyu's ridiculous idea. The reason was that a few days ago, a young student from Tianjin who had been influenced by Sun Yat-sen's special period, got excited, hid a pig-killing knife in his clothes, and ran to Beijing to respond to the revolutionary call, wanting to follow the example of the revolutionary pioneer Wang Zhaojun and assassinate the national thief. However, before he could even find the entrance to the Presidential Palace, he was spotted by patrolling police with a suspicious look.

  After being caught, they hadn't even started the interrogation yet, and this kid was so scared that he peed his pants on the spot, tears streaming down his face as he confessed everything. Originally, this matter wasn't a big deal, and it didn't have any serious consequences. According to usual practice, at most they would be detained for a few days as a warning, but when Liang Shiyi heard the news, he suddenly became energized, thinking about whether he could use this incident to make a big fuss and turn it into a tool to attack Sun Wen and others.

  In this way, the poor child was transferred to a maximum-security prison cell and under Liang Shideng's enthusiastic hospitality, he was forced to drink some specially-made chili water, and his buttocks were treated to a "VIP seat" - a tiger stool. As a result, a so-called "Blood Light Society" was fabricated. Of course, it would be easy to expose this lie, but Liang Shideng deliberately tried to muddy the waters and found a woman somewhere to impersonate a member of the Blood Light Society and go to the procuratorate to surrender herself, claiming to be the leader of a female assassination team who had come to Beijing to carry out assassination activities under the orders of Chen Qimei, the leader of the Blood Light Society.

  This led to the police operation last night, sealing off roads and searching for members of the Blood Light Society. Zhang Biao was really unlucky, he had been practicing martial arts since childhood, although he didn't cause trouble, but when performing at Tianqiao, he stood up for his friends and offended some petty people, plus his family didn't have any background, belonging to a typical ordinary little citizen, this way in the eyes of some people became the best scapegoat, disaster struck from heaven, inexplicably being labeled as an "assassin".

  Now that he understood the cause and effect, Fang Zidao was no longer in a hurry. Liang Shixiu had made such a big show of this, now letting Zhang Biao off would be inappropriate, wasn't it obvious that it would be a slap in the face? Anyway, Zhang Biao, this "dangerous character", had already been labeled as a bloodthirsty killer, so for the time being, there was no need to worry about his safety, at most he would just suffer a bit in prison. It's likely that this matter will have to be dragged out for some days, and it won't be too late to think of a solution after things calm down.

  As expected, the news about the assassination plot spread like wildfire that afternoon, causing a stir throughout the city. The next day, the Beijing Military Government suddenly arrested KMT senators Xie Chi and Zhou Yu Jue, among others, and even found handguns and explosives in their homes, which further confirmed the authenticity of the assassination plot. Upon hearing the news, Song Jiaoren hastily held an emergency meeting with Yuan Shikai and protested to the heads of both houses of parliament about the military government's arbitrary arrest of members of parliament. After several rounds of efforts and personal guarantees from Song Jiaoren, Lin Sen, and Tang Shaoyi, among others, Yuan Shikai specially ordered the release of these individuals, thus preventing a bigger disturbance.

  After the release of these people, even the National Assembly was ignored, and they went directly to Tianjin and then to Japan to follow Sun Yat-sen and continue the revolution. Meanwhile, rumors about the Blood and Light Society spread wildly, with major newspapers sensationalizing them. Folk rumors were even more exaggerated, especially in Beijing's streets and alleys, where rumors ran rampant. Some people even compared the Blood and Light Society to the "Blood Drop Child" of the Qing dynasty's Yongzheng era, making it sound terrifying. Some storytellers, eager to make a profit, artistically embellished the events surrounding the Blood and Light Society, turning them into dramatic tales that they would recite. For a time, all sorts of exaggerated stories about the society spread far and wide, with the tellers speaking with flair and spitting flying saliva, while their listeners were left staring blankly, their eyes wide with wonder, their legs trembling with fear.

  "Ah, Meng Ah! Song Dun's initial borrowed force to counterattack was quite impressive!" Yang Du said with a smile, fanning himself with his folding fan.

  Fang Zidao smiled faintly, not saying yes or no. Recently, Song Jiaoren's small actions have been somewhat suspicious, but this is normal. Xie Chi and others were originally at odds with Song Jiaoren and had made up their minds to follow Sun Wen in the National Assembly to make trouble. Especially Zhou Yucai was a despicable person who was originally Song Jiaoren's secretary but had been secretly colluding with Sun Wen, frequently coming and going with Chen Qimei and others behind closed doors. After the Huang Xing incident, Song Jiaoren, who had become aware of this, quietly adjusted his secretarial team, transferring Zhou Yucai to another position. This led to Zhou Yucai harboring resentment in his heart, often slandering Song Jiaoren in front of outsiders. This time, although Liang Shiyi managed to grab their handle through the Blood and Light Society incident, the result was actually not bad for Song Jiaoren. These few uncontrollable people in Beijing were only causing trouble, so it's a good opportunity to let them leave the capital, which is beneficial for both party work and National Assembly work.

  Moreover, their release was due to Song Jiaoren's intervention, which further established Song Jiaoren's prestige within the party. Yuan Shikai also gave Song Jiaoren a lot of face and reassured other worried party members and congressmen, making it a win-win situation for all. Fang Zidao thought deeply and vaguely discovered that Song Jiaoren's tactics had become much more subtle than before, and if he thought deeper, perhaps these things...

  "What a lovely day and beautiful scenery! Now that we have a wonderful person by our side, why not share a cup of wine together?" Fang Zida glanced at the girl beside him, chuckled, and raised his cup to invite Yang Du.

  "Ah, these words are deeply in line with my intentions!" Yang Du drank elegantly and finished his cup, put down the wine glass, turned his head to eat a delicious dish brought by the beautiful woman beside him, and also sucked on her slender fingers like jade scallions.

  "I hate you..." The little beauty pouted and twisted her waist, Yang Du suddenly laughed loudly.

  "Xiaozi's brother has a bit of the ancient style of Jin and Wei, such elegance is something that I, Xiao Di, truly admire." Fang Zida saw this and was also delighted, unable to help but praise.

  "That's it!" Yang Du nodded his head with satisfaction: "The subtle and refined, the radiant and jade-like complexion. The words are not yet spoken, but the air is like a faint orchid. The beautiful and elegant appearance makes me forget my meal...... This kind of subtlety is something that outsiders can't appreciate, haha!"

  Fang Zida didn't know who wrote the poem Yang Du was reciting, but he understood some of its meaning and nodded with a smile.

  The place they were in was a very famous private house in the capital, and the two girls who accompanied them were not ordinary powder heads from outside. To say nothing of their appearance, they were also talented and skilled, and good at understanding people's intentions. If it weren't for high-ranking officials or famous scholars coming to make an appointment, they wouldn't even see guests. It was only because Fang Zida had come here that he had gained the favor of Yang Du, a great talent and celebrity.

  Today, I originally wanted to invite Yang Du and Xia Shoutian, but unexpectedly, Xia Shoutian had something urgent and couldn't make it, so the three-man outing became a two-person drinking session. However, with the bright moon in the sky, accompanied by a beautiful woman, and the sound of silk and bamboo instruments harmonizing with the scenery in the courtyard, this is also a rather romantic indulgence. What makes people even more nostalgic is the special feeling of this kind of gathering, which is simply worlds apart from those so-called luxurious clubs of later generations.

  Enjoying the breeze and moonlight, Fang Zidao had a delightful conversation with Yang Du. It wasn't until after half a cup of wine that he casually brought up the matter entrusted to him some time ago.

  "It doesn't matter, this is a small matter, Farmer Zhang has already helped you take care of it. Just go and pick him up tomorrow afternoon."

  "Hehe, then thank you, Geng Fu and Xiao Zi brothers." Fang Zida smiled and cupped his hands.

  "What's with the politeness? Do we still need to be so polite among brothers? Come on, come on, let's drink! Let's drink!" Yang Du waved his hand with a very casual and refreshing attitude.