Lin Han blurted out something out of the blue, leaving both Ye Qingcheng and me bewildered. She apologized sheepishly, "I remembered it and just said it. I really didn't mean to disrupt your rhythm."
Lin Han probably thought Lu Yao had nothing to do with this matter. But I didn't think so; there must be a reason why Teacher Wang Ren had warned me. Ye Qingcheng, perceptive as ever, asked me seriously, "Should we give Lu Yao a call?"
"Go ahead."
Ye Qingcheng made the call, her brow furrowed.
"Couldn't get through?"
"Mhmm."
Lu Yao had actually turned off his phone.
The three of us exchanged glances. What was going on? Things were chaotic enough on our end, and now Lu Yao's situation was unstable again. Why had Teacher Wang Ren told me to be wary of Lu Yao?
"Sect Leader, Lu Yao would never betray you. If he had any ill intentions, he wouldn't have saved you in Ruili."
"Teacher Ye, don't worry. I don't suspect Lu Yao. I haven't finished speaking when the door opened. Seeing Director Lu walk in, I immediately shut my mouth. Director Lu smiled amiably, "Having a meeting?"
This seemingly kind and approachable Director Lu always made me uneasy. I smiled faintly, "No, we're all concerned about my recovery. What brings you here?"
"It's about the case."
I glanced at Ye Qingcheng, who also smiled and said, "I have some business to attend to. You two talk." Lin Han also started to leave. I looked at her, puzzled, "Where are you going?"
"I left your lunch at home. If I don't go back and get it, Mom will blame me again."
After they left, Director Lu said to me with a smile, "You're not trying to avoid me, are you?"
I plastered a smile on my face, "No, no, please don't overthink it."
Director Lu looked at me and asked earnestly, "When I came in, I heard you mention Lu Yao's name."
"Yes, I don't know where he's gone. His phone is off."
"Lu Yao's phone is temporarily unavailable. He's doing something for me."
"Doing what?"
"The news program on Xi'an local TV's urban channel. Let's watch it together."
Director Lu said this and turned on the TV in my hospital room. It turned out that Director Lu and Lu Yao had set a trap. They had laid an ambush and directly arrested the 'Living Yama' theft gang.
Although the image of the undercover agent on the news was pixelated, I easily recognized Lu Yao. No wonder he turned off his phone; he was apprehending the 'Living Yama' gang. Judging by the news report, the arrest wasn't easy.
However, I could sense that the person who had set the trap was extremely familiar with the 'Living Yama' gang's modus operandi. They had directly apprehended the Bull and Horse guards and unceremoniously caught the Black and White Impermanence scouts.
I watched the scene on TV in silence, pondering Director Lu's purpose in showing me this.
"I dealt with these 'Living Yama' members 20 years ago. Their theft methods have improved, but their routines are still the same. Their essence hasn't changed. These individuals have malicious intentions. They somehow got wind that you have the 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin' bronze dagger, the very item that sent them to prison back then, and formulated a plan to steal it. They then placed the bronze dagger in your home, attempting to frame you."
"What was their motive for doing this?"
"The 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin' dagger was quite famous in the antique world back then. Who remembers it now? However, the price of the General's Head ceramic figurine has undergone a drastic change. It's worth at least a hundred million. The ultimate goal of these habitual thieves was to send you to prison, to exact revenge for Old Lin sending them to prison, and then steal your General's Head ceramic figurine."
"Director Lu, a brilliant plan. You used the General's Head ceramic figurine as bait for Lu Yao to capture them all."
"Precisely."
I glanced at the TV again. The reporter was praising the police, and the participating detectives were being interviewed.
Reporter: "Was this operation successful in apprehending these thieves by using a counterfeit General's Head ceramic figurine as bait?"
Detective: "Yes, it was thanks to the informant."
Reporter: "Can we have a word from the informant?"
The detective shook his head: "According to regulations and for the informant's safety, he cannot appear in public."
Reporter: "Can you reveal anything about the counterfeit General's Head ceramic figurine?"
Detective: "It was a highly realistic replica provided by an enthusiast."
Reporter: "Thank you for accepting our interview. You've worked hard."
After that, the TV moved on to the next news item.
I turned my gaze to Director Lu, looking at his unchanging smile, "Director Lu, where is my General's Head ceramic figurine?"
"Tang Nan, I was about to discuss this with you. If that General's Head ceramic figurine turns out to be a民间高仿品 (minjian gaofangpin - folk replica), you will be the one who made a contribution. If it's the genuine article, you might face an additional charge of illegally possessing a national treasure.
Of course, illegally possessing a national treasure is different from stealing one. At most, you'll only serve a few years in prison. Additionally, due to your rapid wealth accumulation, a more in-depth investigation will be conducted into your financial income and that of Lin Han."
I understood Director Lu's meaning and smiled sadly, casually asking, "So I won't be able to get the General's Head ceramic figurine back."
Director Lu sounded a bit anxious upon hearing this, "Why are you still thinking about the General's Head ceramic figurine? True, it's valuable, but compared to your wealth, it's not worth sacrificing your freedom for a national treasure."
"I need to help my grandfather return the national treasure to the country."
"Are you going to help Old Lin even if it means going to prison?"
I gave a wry smile, "You promised me that if I cooperated with your plan, you would save me."
"I never said that. I said I would make every effort to investigate those who framed you and bring them to justice. Now that I've caught them, they framed you because they coveted the national treasure in your home. Dealing with national treasures is a serious crime, and it warrants imprisonment. That's what Director Lu said. He had been waiting for this. From that day on, he deliberately revealed some past secrets and asked for my help, all for this very moment. Solving cases under the追踪报道 (zhuīzōng bàodào - follow-up report) of television reporters, are the detectives always so confident? It seemed tense, but in reality, they knew exactly what 'Living Yama' was up to.
Heh!
This Director Lu has indeed set a masterful trap!"
"Director Lu, before I make my choice, can I ask you a question?"
At this point, Director Lu's expression darkened, and he perfunctorily said, "Ask away. What else do you not understand?" "Those 'Living Yama' bandits, they broke into the national treasury to frame me. Are these people out of their minds? If they've already broken into the national treasury, why would they still be thinking about stealing my General's Head ceramic figurine a second time? Isn't that like taking off your pants to fart, a redundant action? There are so many treasures in the national treasury, they could just take a few items."
"Enough!"
"Alright, that's enough. But I can't help but have another guess. How did these thieves know that the bronze dagger and the General's Head ceramic figurine were in my possession? Do you know? Before I returned to Xi'an this time, I wasn't even aware I possessed these two items. And also, they're quite strange. Knowing the items were with me, and considering they placed the bronze dagger in my house, why didn't they bother to break open the safe in the room? They are renowned great thieves."
As I said this, Director Lu's face turned ashen.
"That bronze dagger was not found in my house; it was your men who obtained a search warrant and planted it there. Am I correct, Director Lu?"
At this moment, Director Lu's smiling face completely vanished, replaced by a somewhat ferocious expression, "Tang Nan, are you prepared to turn your back on me for the sake of the General's Head ceramic figurine?"
"I dislike being threatened."
"You're prepared to rot in prison."
"Director Lu, you shouldn't speak too soon. You should understand that I'm not just a wealthy individual. Now, I'll return your words to you. Of course, I'll be more direct than you. I'll give you a choice. One is for me to give you one million yuan as compensation, and you help me return the General's Head ceramic figurine as a national treasure. The other is, you try to pocket the General's Head ceramic figurine, and I guarantee you will be ruined before your retirement."
Director Lu burst into laughter, enraged, "Tang Nan, are you refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit?"
"Do you find one million yuan too little?"
"Are you trying to dismiss a beggar?"
"Director Lu, do you earn hundreds of thousands a month? Is one million only enough to dismiss a beggar in your eyes? You must have embezzled quite a lot over the years."
At this point, Director Lu flicked his sleeve and left. At the door, he said to the guards watching me, "Check his injuries. With such injuries, who allowed him out on medical parole? Get the report, and send him back to prison immediately."
The sheets on my hospital bed hadn't even warmed up before I was being sent back to the big house. Ye Qingcheng rushed to see me and instructed, "I've just met with Lu Yao. Lu Yao said he can take the blame for this matter. Under my defense, you can be released from prison with peace of mind and then deal with this Director Lu."
Hearing Ye Qingcheng say this, I looked at her sincerely. Ye Qingcheng's eyes darted away. I smiled, "Are you testing me? Still thinking about what Teacher Wang Ren said about being wary of Lu Yao. I have complete trust in you all. You don't need Lu Yao to go to prison for me. Let him continue to sell me out according to the plan. I believe he can do a very good job."
"I'm sorry, Sect Leader. I didn't mean to test you. We were scared. Since you trust us so much, we will do as you command. If Lu Yao continues to sell you out, then what about me?"