Chapter Forty-Three: A Hasty Return to Jinling

In the days that followed, Ning Zhiheng was kept busy, first bringing gifts to visit relatives and friends on both his parents’ sides. This was a customary duty whenever he returned home; both the Ning and Sang families were large clans, and just these visits took up three entire days.

Afterward, he made a special trip to visit the parents of his close friend Miao Yongyi. Only then did he learn the specific designation and location of Miao Yongyi’s unit. The first thing Miao Yongyi did upon arriving at his post was to send a telegram home, assuring his family of his safety. As the eldest son, his parents especially cherished him; only knowing he was safe could put their minds at ease.

Ning Zhiheng was also concerned about Miao Yongyi’s parents and thought he should write to Miao Yongyi to discuss finding an excuse to bring his parents to Chongqing next year and settle them there. There were many things that could not be said outright, and he did not know if they would be willing, but he resolved to do his best.

On the fourth day, Ning Liangcai came to see Ning Zhiheng, accompanied by Wen Weiguang, the manager of the Ning family’s shop. Manager Wen was an old retainer of the family, having followed Ning Liangcai since his youth, rising step by step. Shrewd and capable, he was Ning Liangcai’s most trusted steward and now managed their largest shop.

“Zhiheng, I have gathered all the funds over the past few days and, as you instructed, converted it all into pounds sterling—ten thousand pounds! This is all the capital our family can muster,” Ning Liangcai said, placing a black leather case gently on the table.

This sum had taken Ning Liangcai three days to assemble from various sources and represented a significant investment for the Ning family.

Ning Zhiheng glanced at Manager Wen and nodded. “That’s quite a lot—more than I expected. Father, are you planning to send Uncle Wen to handle this matter in Chongqing?”

Manager Wen bowed slightly and replied, “I will certainly carry out the master’s instructions to the best of my ability.”

“Uncle Wen, taking such a large sum to Chongqing is no small matter. You have been with our family for decades and are the person my father and we brothers trust most deeply, so I need say no more. Here is a letter of introduction I have prepared. Take it with you to the local garrison in Chongqing and seek out Colonel Shen Haocheng of the 5th Regiment, 13th Division, and pass it to my teacher, He Feng. They should have already begun their acquisition efforts. Follow my teacher’s instructions in all things and buy as much as you can, as quickly as possible. Land prices there are already rising!”

Wen Weiguang accepted the letter and nodded in agreement.

Ning Liangcai added, “Take plenty of reliable men from the household with you. Bring trusted assistants and a few guards. First, you need to ensure the safe delivery of such a large sum. Second, Zhiheng’s teacher is a soldier and doesn’t know business, so many things will fall to you. Manage the shop well, see what business opportunities there are, tidy up any properties you purchase, and if you’re short-handed, hire some honest and dependable workers. You’re an old hand at this, so I won’t say more—just do as you see fit.”

Wen Weiguang nodded at each instruction. He was thoroughly experienced in business and confident that, as long as the young master’s teacher could maintain order in Chongqing, he would have no trouble fulfilling his duties.

With everything settled, Manager Wen withdrew. Watching his retreating figure, Ning Zhiheng quietly asked, “Are Uncle Wen’s family still in Hangzhou?”

Ning Liangcai was momentarily taken aback but quickly caught on. “Of course. Don’t worry, Wen Weiguang has been in our employ for decades. His wife was introduced by your mother, and both his son and daughter attend school in Hangzhou.”

Ning Liangcai understood his son’s concern—money can tempt even the best of men, and entrusting such a fortune to someone else warranted caution. Still, he had complete faith in Manager Wen.

With Wen’s family in Hangzhou and reliable staff and guards accompanying him—whose families also remained in Hangzhou—the issue of loyalty was well accounted for.

Looking at his son, Ning Liangcai felt as though he hardly recognized him. After a moment, he said, “Zhiheng, you and your elder brother are truly different. Zhipeng trusts people too easily. He delegates authority and funds in business, so his subordinates all praise him for being capable and insightful. But I always worry he’ll one day trust the wrong person and suffer for it. When I chose Manager Wen to go to Chongqing, he didn’t ask a single question, just cheerfully agreed, never suspecting a thing. He thinks a retainer of decades could never cause problems.

“But you! Quite the opposite—you trust no one. You’ve always been reserved, close only to your mother, never letting anyone know your thoughts. You enrolled at the military academy without a word, and we didn’t even know until you were admitted. When I told you Manager Wen was going to Chongqing, your first question was whether he might be tempted by such a sum—even after all his years of service to our family.

“You trust no one, Zhiheng! In the art of employing people, you cannot be too trusting, but you also cannot be suspicious of everyone. You need dependable people by your side. Your way of handling things is far too cautious!”

Ning Zhiheng did not refute his father’s words, but his mind remained unchanged. In both his previous and present lives, his temperament was fundamentally the same—meticulous and wary, finding it difficult to place absolute trust in anyone. He was now more worldly and smooth, but his essential nature had not changed.

Manager Wen was his father’s loyal old servant, but he owed no allegiance to Ning Zhiheng himself. He might never betray his father for profit, but there was no guarantee he would not betray Ning Zhiheng. Why should he stake everything on another’s reliability? It was only prudent to guard against every eventuality.

His father had his own ways of dealing with people, and Ning Zhiheng had his own—neither could say who was right or wrong, and neither could persuade the other, so he simply remained silent.

Ning Liangcai saw that his son paid little heed to his advice and could only sigh inwardly. This son had always been set in his ways, hard to influence, and there was little more to say.

“By the way, I really like the watch you bought me, though it must have cost a pretty penny. You’ve always been frugal, so this must have been several months’ salary,” Ning Liangcai said, showing off the Longines watch on his wrist, his eyes full of satisfaction.

His son was truly filial; for one who had always been thrifty to spend several months’ wages on such an expensive gift for his father filled Ning Liangcai with delight.

He then took out a stack of banknotes and placed them on the table. “You’ve only just started work, so you can’t have much money. Use this to repay whatever you borrowed, and the rest for entertaining your superiors and colleagues. Our family isn’t short of money—it’s just that I didn’t want you spending recklessly before. Now that you’re working, there are expenses you shouldn’t try to save on.”

Moved by his father’s gesture, Ning Zhiheng took the money without protest, even though he did not lack for funds. It was his father’s way of showing care, and refusing it would only make him uneasy.

Seeing this, Ning Liangcai felt gratified. His son was finally becoming easier to get along with—before, he would never have accepted the money. When he’d gone to the military academy, he hadn’t taken a cent from the family, relying only on the allowance his mother, Sang Su’e, had given him. Now that he had a salary, Ning Liangcai had worried he’d refuse again, but this time he accepted it without a word, which pleased Ning Liangcai greatly.

At that moment, his younger sister Ning Zhen came skipping in, calling, “Second Brother, Second Brother, someone’s here for you—a military officer!”

Startled, Ning Zhiheng hurried to the parlor, where a young lieutenant was waiting.

“You must be Captain Ning?” the officer asked.

“I am. And you are?”

“I’m Luo Xingbo, intelligence officer for the Military Intelligence Bureau’s Hangzhou post. This is a telegram from headquarters, to be delivered to you immediately.”

The Military Intelligence Bureau had posts in every major city, able to communicate rapidly via military radio. Ning Zhiheng quickly accepted the dossier, which was sealed with red wax, and signed for it. After exchanging a salute, Luo Xingbo departed.

Tearing open the seal, Ning Zhiheng extracted the telegram.

“The Puppet case is closed. Return at once. Wei.”

The message was from his senior, Wei Liangbi. Huang Xiansheng’s codename was “Puppet.” Before leaving Nanjing, Ning Zhiheng had asked Wei to keep an eye on Huang Xiansheng’s case, intending to extract his memories before his execution.

Huang Xiansheng had only survived by confessing, but in his confession, the case of Kong Liangce resurfaced. Ning Zhiheng and Wei Liangbi both suspected that Qian Zhong, who now had the case, would never let Huang Xiansheng live for long—sooner or later, he would silence him.

Worried Qian Zhong would act while he was away on home leave, Ning Zhiheng had asked Wei Liangbi to monitor the situation and notify him immediately of any developments. Wei Liangbi, though unsure why Ning Zhiheng was so insistent, accepted his explanation that this was his first case and he wanted to see it through to the end.

Wei Liangbi had thus kept close watch, and now, sensing an emergency, had immediately sent a telegram to Hangzhou.

Receiving the message, Ning Zhiheng dared not delay. It was the same day’s telegram, and the Hangzhou post would have delivered it at once. If he hurried, he might still make it in time.

He quickly bade farewell to his family, explaining that urgent military affairs called him back to Nanjing. Though reluctant to see him go, his family could not object—not with an officer coming to summon him. His mother, Sang Su’e, wept as she saw him off at the train station, and Ning Zhiheng hastened back to Nanjing.