Espionage: I became sworn brothers with Zheng Yaoxian at the beginning, and became the Seventh Broth

Chapter 131 Subtly Evaluating Dai Yunong

Xu Baichuan's office.

After listening to Zheng Yaoxian and Ye Shaohong's reports, Xu Baichuan did not rush to reply, but instead frowned and pondered.

Clearly, he is also considering the feasibility of this.

After all, this was just Ye Shaohong's guess.

Without solid evidence, even with Xu Baichuan's current status, he wouldn't dare make a decision lightly.

Zheng Yaoxian and Ye Shaohong were both intelligent people. With just a glance, they guessed Xu Baichuan's thoughts and understood his feelings.

So neither of them urged them; they simply sat there and waited quietly. About ten more minutes passed before Xu Baichuan made his decision. He abruptly stood up and walked straight towards the coat rack.

"Please wait here for me a moment. I will go and see the Chief Minister now."

"This is a rare opportunity, and it's worth taking a risk, but how to take that risk is a decision we need to make."

While they were talking, Xu Baichuan had already put on his clothes and hat.

"Indeed, we should inform the section chief."

"Then, Director, we'll wait for you here."

Zheng Yaoxian nodded in response.

Ye Shaohong pondered the matter again, wanting to confirm whether his deduction was correct.

"Do not worry."

"It shouldn't take too long." Xu Baichuan straightened his clothes in front of the mirror, waved to Zheng Yaoxian and Ye Shaohong, and walked out of the room.

Seeing Xu Baichuan disappear from sight, Zheng Yaoxian took out a cigarette from his pocket, offered one to Ye Shaohong, and after they lit it, they fell silent again.

"Section Chief, do you think the Division Chief will agree?"

"Yes—and no!"

Zheng Yaoxian smiled faintly. Facing Ye Shaohong, his junior from elementary school and a rising star whom he had personally guided into the Special Service Department, Zheng Yaoxian was willing to mentor and guide him.

Therefore, he did not hide anything and gave a direct answer.

"You can or you can't?"

Ye Shaohong muttered to himself, savoring Zheng Yaoxian's response. After a moment, he smiled.

“That’s right.” “That’s the correct answer.”

Zheng Yaoxian tapped the ash off his cigarette butt with his hand, then said with a smile, "Understood?"

"Then tell me."

Why did the Director make this choice?

This must be a test that Zheng Yaoxian arranged for Ye Shaohong. He also wanted to see how much Ye Shaohong could improve after this period of training.

"This question is actually not difficult to answer."

"The choice between yes or no, in the end, boils down to just two words."

"cautious!"

At this point, Ye Shaohong paused, then looked up at Zheng Yaoxian.

"That's right!"

"You've hit the nail on the head with those two words." "This reminds me of something. Have you ever heard of the Pan family, a famous family of scholars from Suzhou and a prominent clan in Jiangnan?"

In the fifty-eighth year of the Qianlong reign, Pan Shi'en, at the age of twenty-five, topped the imperial examination. He served as an official for more than fifty years during the reigns of four emperors: Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng. He died at the age of eighty-four and was posthumously honored with the title "Wengong" and enshrined in the Temple of Worthies.

"Later generations of Qing dynasty people made some comments about him, calling him the most fortunate person in the three hundred years of the Manchu Qing dynasty."

"He left a will for the Pan family before his death, which consisted of more than 5,000 words, including the following passage."

"Zhuge was cautious throughout his life, but this was not in the sense of being overly cautious. Being cautious in handling affairs meant being meticulous and thorough. When faced with important matters, he could resolve major doubts with composure and appropriate measures. This is what is meant by having great courage but a cautious mind."

"Our section chief, although not a member of the Pan family of Suzhou, has, in retrospect, some of the essence of the Pan family tradition in his conduct!"

Perhaps it was because only Zheng Yaoxian and Ye Shaohong were in the room today, or perhaps it was because Ye Shaohong's reasoning was truly brilliant, that Zheng Yaoxian spoke a few more words with Ye Shaohong today.

"Yes, Zhuge Liang was cautious throughout his life."

"The same applies to the Director."

"As a graduate of the sixth class of the Whampoa Military Academy, he was able to build such a foundation in just a few years. Apart from his special relationship with Chiang Kai-shek, the biggest reason was his caution."

"No... Besides being cautious and loving, he was also skilled at scheming and meticulous in planning."

"So even if he has seen the benefits of this operation, he will not make a decision easily, but will verify and confirm the details from multiple sources."

Zheng Yaoxian's assertion was quite novel, leaving Ye Shaohong with much to ponder. While agreeing with it, he also offered his own supplementary judgment. "Haha!"

"You're too smart."

Zheng Yaoxian threw his head back and laughed, pointed at Ye Shaohong, and casually said, "Alright, since you've already guessed it, tell me, how will the Director verify it?"

"We've come this far, and you're still going to test me, Section Chief?"

Ye Shaohong chuckled. He was quite willing to discuss this issue in depth with Zheng Yaoxian, but this wasn't his office after all, so the privacy was much less.

Xu Baichuan could come back at any time.

If Xu Baichuan were to hear them making such unrestrained comments about Section Chief Dai Yunong, even if he didn't report the matter, he would probably reprimand them.

The gain outweighs the loss.

"Oh!"

"I just mentioned the word 'cautious,' and you've certainly put it to good use." "So tell me, what do you plan to do?"

Zheng Yaoxian was delighted. He looked at Ye Shaohong with great interest, and his eyes showed anticipation.

"It's very simple, why don't we write it down together?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Shaohong stood up and picked up the teapot on the table. He poured a cup for himself and Zheng Yaoxian, and then pointed to the table in front of him.

"Okay."

"Let's do it together then."

Zheng Yaoxian nodded, dipped a finger in the tea, and began to write on the table. Ye Shaohong did the same.

Soon, they both finished writing, looked up at each other's answers, and burst into laughter.

There were now two lines of identical text on the desktop.

"Intelligence!" After the laughter subsided, Zheng Yaoxian and Ye Shaohong both waved their hands to wipe away the writing on the table.

"If our guess is correct, this time when Director Xu went to meet with the Director, it will take quite a while."

Zheng Yaoxian's words effectively put the matter behind them, and they chatted for another half hour without bringing up such a sensitive issue again.

More than half an hour later, the tightly closed door was pulled open from the outside.

Xu Baichuan is back.

He held a telegram in his hand and had a bright smile on his face.

"good news!"

"Yaoxian and Shaohong, your previous guesses were not wrong at all. This matter was indeed caused by the book 'Wolf and Dog'."

"The Director has approved our action plan, and we can begin making arrangements this afternoon." "I've recently researched a lot of information and found Dai Yunong's life to be really interesting, so I couldn't resist making up a chapter."

I wouldn't dare say it's really true, but in my opinion, Dai Yunong did have many merits when he first rose to prominence.

The word "cautious" is absolutely appropriate.

As for Dai Yunong's personality changes in the later stages, and how he became arrogant, I now have some ideas, which I will gradually tell in the subsequent plot.

Writing is hard work, and researching is even harder. If you, dear readers, think I've done my best, please vote for me.

I am deeply grateful!