Chapter 49: Reputation Soars

  The contract of the Republic of China is difficult to sign, but I will continue to write for no reason, just for my hobby. The new book period has passed, and during the thorough naked run, please recommend it to everyone! Remember to collect this book! Thank you!

  Chen Qimei ultimately did not make it to the north, because on that very night he suddenly took his own life. By the time Fang Zida rushed over upon hearing the news, Chen Qimei's body had already been lifted down from the beam and was a cold corpse.

  "What's going on? Didn't you guys see it? How could this happen?" Outside the door, Zhang Huichen's angry voice came, several constables hung their heads in shame and didn't dare to speak out loud. When did Chen Qimei hang himself inside the house? They didn't hear any movement outside, who would have thought that something so big would happen, feeling both wronged and terrified.

  Chen Qimei lay quietly on the bed, his face a deep purple and his tongue half out of his mouth. Fang Zida gazed at his distorted face for a long time before letting out a soft sigh and slowly pulling up the quilt to cover him. Turning around, he picked up a piece of paper that Chen Qimei had left on the table before he died, with only three large characters "hate" written on it, nothing else.

  "Governor! Governor!" The heart-wrenching and lung-splitting cries of He Yingqin came from the courtyard, Fang Zidao heard the sound and slowly walked out of the house, only to see two constables desperately pulling He Yingqin who was crying with tears streaming down his face.

  "Let him go......" With a wave of his hand, He Yingqin, who had been released, rushed straight into the house, followed by bursts of sobbing.

  Soon, Jiang Zhicheng also arrived after learning the news. He was still limping and leaning on his crutches. After entering the courtyard, he glanced at Fang Zida, then lowered his head and silently entered the house without saying a word.

  "Mr. Fang, I...I..." Zhang Huchen came to Fang Zida's side, his face flushed with embarrassment, not knowing how to explain the matter. Fang Zida didn't make things difficult for him, but simply shook his head and said: "This thing can't be prevented even if we want to, it's not your fault, and don't blame the brothers below either. Ah...it's just that Chen Qimei's death is bound to stir up more trouble!"

  "It's you! You're the one who killed our commander!" He Yongqing suddenly rushed out of the house, filled with boundless hatred and charged towards Fang Zidao, but before he could reach him, several constabulary soldiers grabbed hold of him and pinned him firmly to the ground.

  "Let me go! Let me go! It's you who killed the governor, if it weren't for you, the governor wouldn't have died!" He Yingqin struggled desperately on the ground, lifting his head to stare at Fang Zida. If the anger in his eyes could kill, Fang Zida would have been reduced to ashes by now.

  "Respect!" Jiang Zhicheng shouted loudly and limped out: "Big Brother was a suicide, no wonder Vice-Commander Fang."

  "If it weren't for them, how could he have committed suicide?" He Yingqin shouted loudly with tears streaming down his face, still refusing to accept the fact.

  "Nonsense!" Jiang Zhiqing was furious, grabbing his collar and slapping him several times, leaving He Yingqin dazed and unable to speak.

  "Dear Brother Ming, I suddenly encountered a great sorrow. My younger brother is heartbroken and his words may not be proper in some places, please forgive him."

  "No need, I can understand your mood." Fang Zida felt that Jiang Zhicheng was a bit too calm and scary, especially when he looked at him with an icy gaze that made people feel very uncomfortable. He slightly avoided it, and handed over the paper he had been holding in his hand: "Ruiyuan, this is the will left by Commander Chen."

  He calmly took it, Jiang Zhiqing's hand trembled uncontrollably in the dim light, staring at the three big "hate" characters without blinking, and was stunned for a long time. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

  "Thank you, Brother Jianming. Zhiqing has a request here, I wonder if Brother Jianming can accommodate it?"

  "As long as I can do it, please tell me, Ruiyuan."

  "Zhiqing has no other requests, he only asks if it's possible to allow him to bury his brother before heading north again?"

  "This......" Fang Zida hesitated for a moment, nodded and replied: "Alright, I will send someone to handle Commander Chen's funeral. Ruiyuan, Jingzhi, please take care of yourselves."

  Thus, Zhì Qīng thanked Jiǎng Míng greatly... With a bow, Jiang Zhiqing turned around and pulled the dizzy He Yingqin back to the house step by step.

  Chen Qimei's sudden suicide left Fang Zidao somewhat unprepared. The original plan to go north was of course cancelled, and he immediately reported the matter to Beijing. After Chen Qimei's death became known in Beijing, it immediately caused a great shock, whether it was Yuan Shikai or Song Jiaoren, both were extremely shocked when they received the news.

  The next day, after the news spread, members of parliament were also discussing it. Some said that Chen Qimei was afraid of punishment and killed himself because he knew he would be severely punished if caught. Such a rebel is not worth pitying. Others said that the government had pressured him too much, Chen Qimei was a revolutionary hero after all, even if he did something wrong, he couldn't be treated like this. The old saying goes well, "a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated", he must have been tortured and humiliated after being captured, otherwise why would he kill himself? Some said that Chen Qimei didn't commit suicide at all, but was killed by Yuan Shikai and Song Jiaoren because they were afraid that if Chen Qimei lived, he would rise again. Others said that Huang Xing was actually killed by Chen Qimei, who originally wanted to kill Song Jiaoren, but mistakenly killed Huang Xing instead. Song Jiaoren found out the truth later and sent someone to avenge his enemy Chen Qimei. Some even said that Chen Qimei was assassinated by Sun Yat-sen's people because during the Shanghai war, Sun Yat-sen was afraid of death and ran away, causing Chen Qimei to lose the battle. This time Chen Qimei couldn't escape, it was Sun Yat-sen who informed against him, wanting to kill him with a borrowed knife, but didn't expect Chen Qimei not to be killed at the dock, so he sent another killer to kill him and shift the blame to Yuan Shikai and Song Jiaoren.

  All sorts of rumors, including the newspaper's sensational report on Chen Qimei's suicide, spread like wildfire, leaving Yuan Shikai and Song Jiaoren at their wit's end.

  It's not just them, Fang Zidao in Shanghai has become the target of public criticism. His previously unknown name suddenly became a household name that people from all walks of life are eager to talk about.

  It was unknown who had brought up Fang Zidao's return to the country, his encounter with Huang Xing at Shanghai Railway Station, and then followed Song Jiaoren to Beijing, and later became a high-ranking official in the KMT, being sent to Nanjing to take over the 8th Division and clean up Lin Hu... etc. All these things were dug out, and Fang Zidao's name spread throughout the country, while comments about him were also all over the place.

  "Fang Zida - The New Noble of the Song Family"; "A Look at Today's Executioner"; "The Legend of Fang Zida, the Returned Overseas Student"; "The Butcher Fang Zida Biography"; "The Defender of Nanjing, a New General Star"; "The Bizarre Promotion"; "Fang Zida and Song Jiaoren"; "The Key Figure in the Huang Keqiang and Chen Qimei Incident - Fang Zida" ... One by one, these headlines made Fang Zida laugh and cry at the same time. He put down the newspaper in his hand, and in recent days, no matter whether it was a large or small newspaper from the north or south, or street vendors, they were all talking about his name. To be honest, looking at the content written on the newspaper, Fang Zida even admired the editors' writing skills. Whether it was factual reporting or fictionalized accounts, they wrote vividly and lifelike. Reading the articles, even Fang Zida himself almost didn't recognize who he was.

  "My goodness! What kind of ridiculous thing is this?" After muttering a few curses, Fang Zidao couldn't help but burst out laughing again. This way of becoming famous really can't be endured! His normally low-key self had actually caused such a big stir, and that Chen Qimei was truly not shallow in harming people.

  Now, Fang Zida is somewhat regretful of catching Chen Qimei. If he had known the final result would be like this, it would have been better to let him escape. Chen Qimei is now relaxed, with a rope around his waist, two legs kicking and eyes closed, all the messy affairs are dumped on Fang Zida's head.

  "Beijing is calling!"

  After receiving the telegram from Zhang Huchen, Fang Zida finished reading it and remained silent. As expected, Chen Qimei's case had blown up so big that the Central Government would eventually find a scapegoat. And who else could be the most suitable scapegoat if not Fang Zida? The Ministry of War issued an order today to remove Fang Zida from his position as Deputy Commander of the 8th Division, and also cancelled the rank of Major General that had been previously promised to him. He was required to return to Beijing immediately to await investigation.

  What's the investigation about? It wasn't mentioned in the telegram, but Fang Zidao wouldn't find it hard to guess that it must be related to Chen Qimei. Whether it's Yuan Shikai or Song Jiaoren, they have to give an account of this matter to the National Assembly and to the people.

  "Mr. Fang, there is also a telegram here, it's Premier Song's private telegram." Just as Fang Zidao furrowed his brow, Zhang Huchen handed over another telegram. After reading this telegram, Fang Zidao's mood relaxed a lot, and he nodded slightly.

  "Get ready, we're taking the train back to Nanjing tonight."

  Zhang Huchen nodded in agreement, and just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly thought of something and turned back to ask: "Should we bring Jiang Zhicheng and the others along?"

  Chen Qimei's funeral is the day after tomorrow. Thinking of his promise to Jiang Zhiqing, Fang Zida shook his head and said: "You stay behind first, and after Chen Qimei is buried, escort them directly to Beijing."

  "Mr. Fang, He Yingqin has been scolding you every day for the past few days, and even said that you drove Commander Chen to death. In my opinion, it's better to..." Zhang Huchen raised his hand and made a slashing motion downwards.

  "Heh heh, as the old saying goes, a dog that barks doesn't bite. Are these people who scold me every day going to be okay just because of He Yingqin? No need for that." With a wave of his hand and a smile, Fang Zidao rejected Zhang Huchen's proposal and told him to hurry up and prepare.

  After Zhang Huachen left, Fang Zida couldn't help but think of Jiang Zhicheng's eyes that night. Compared to He Yingqin, Jiang Zhicheng was the real deal! His emotions didn't show on his face, and now no one could guess what he was thinking in his heart. It seemed that Jiang Zhicheng was a silent dog!