The Jiang Family’s Old Mansion!
Standing in front of the Jiang family’s old mansion, Li Yi felt a slight flutter of excitement.
Just half an hour ago, as Li Yi was about to stage a forbidden adult film with his wife, he suddenly received a call from the old mansion.
The call was from his father-in-law, who told him to come to the old mansion immediately, saying that Old Chen was waiting for him there.
Upon receiving the call, Li Yi didn’t dare delay. He immediately set off with Zhang Ziqiang—who had just returned from leave—and Zhou Wen.
Although he hadn’t even stepped inside yet, Li Yi could already guess why Old Chen had summoned him.
As expected, it was most likely about the Tangcheng Kitchen Knife Squad.
Others might not know he was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, but Old Chen certainly did.
Li Yi had been laying the groundwork for so long precisely to draw the attention of higher-ups. Now that Old Chen had sought him out, it was exactly what Li Yi wanted—though he wasn’t sure if Old Chen was here on his own behalf or…
After briefly composing himself, Li Yi pushed open the gate of the Jiang family’s old mansion.
The guard on duty saw that it was Li Yi and his group, immediately saluted, but did not stop or question them.
Stepping into the courtyard, Li Yi saw that the lights were on in both the side rooms and the main hall.
Instead of heading straight for the main hall, he first pushed open the door to the side room.
Inside, his mother-in-law, Ye Lingyun, was knitting a sweater—judging by the size, it was likely for the two youngest children at home.
When she saw Li Yi walk in, Ye Lingyun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and asked, “Little Yi, you’ve come to visit. Where are Xiao Xue and the kids? Didn’t they come with you?”
“The kids are already in bed. Dad called me over—he said Old Chen is here and wants to see me!”
Li Yi then asked, “Where’s Dad? Is he in the main hall?”
“Hmm, Uncle Chen came over in a hurry just now. He chatted with Grandpa for a bit, then had your father call you over. We didn’t dare ask what was going on—could it be you’ve gotten into trouble?” Ye Lingyun said.
“No way! How could I have gotten into trouble?”
Then Li Yi said again, “Mom, I’ll go check on the main hall first. We’ll talk later!”
“Alright. If you really did get into trouble, don’t worry—if it’s bad, I’ll go find your grandfather!”
“I know, Mom. It’s no big deal!”
With that, Li Yi turned and walked out of the west wing.
Upon entering the main house, Li Yi immediately saw the old man and Old Chen sitting on the living room sofa, chatting away, while his father-in-law stood nearby pouring tea and water, looking just like a little sidekick.
Seeing Li Yi enter, his father-in-law immediately waved him over and said, “You’re finally here, son. Come on over!”
Li Yi hurried over and said with a smile, “Grandpa, Old Chen, Dad—how are you all doing?”
Old Chen glanced at Li Yi, then glared at him and said, “Thanks to you, we’ve been swamped these past couple of days!”
“Huh, what’s going on? What’s got you so worked up, Old Man?” Li Yi asked, feigning ignorance.
“That reporter from the People’s Daily—the one surnamed Jin—was someone you found, wasn’t he? And you’re the one who had those stories about the Kitchen Knife Squad leaked, aren’t you?” Old Chen said.
“I had it reported. Don’t you think those thugs and hoodlums were getting way too cocky? Shouldn’t something like this be exposed?”
Li Yi then changed the subject and added, “Besides, shouldn’t this be the Ministry of Public Security’s jurisdiction? Why has it even reached you?”
Before Old Chen could answer, Jiang Shiying, standing nearby, spoke up: “This matter does indeed fall under the Ministry of Public Security’s jurisdiction. But given the current situation—with the ‘Kitchen Knife Gang’ running rampant throughout the entire Jidong region—there must be issues with the local cadre as well. That makes it our responsibility!”
“I see. In that case, I’m truly sorry. It was my oversight that caused you trouble, Old Chen!” Li Yi said hurriedly.
Old Chen shot Li Yi a stern look and said, “Stop being so sarcastic, you young rascal. Just spit it out—what exactly are you trying to do?”
“Don’t say that, sir. Exposing evil and promoting good—isn’t that what all citizens should be doing…”
Before he could finish, Old Chen cut in with a stern voice: “Don’t try to pull the wool over this old man’s eyes. Tangcheng is hundreds of kilometers from the capital—it’s got nothing to do with you. Why on earth would you have people investigate the ‘Kitchen Knife Squad’ out of sheer boredom?”
Old Master Jiang chimed in from the side, “All right, Xiao Yi, tell us what you’re thinking. Why exactly are you exposing that ‘Kitchen Knife Squad’?”
Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then the smile faded from his face as he said earnestly, “I want Liu Dongping dead, and I want the entire Liu family to get the hell out of Beijing!”
Old Chen was taken aback for a moment, then said, “I thought you’d already made peace with the Liu family. So it turns out this matter isn’t settled after all!”
“Haha, I’d love to wrap this up sooner, but the Liu family just isn’t being sincere. So I’ll just have to put in a little effort to dig a pit for them!” Li Yi said.
“What does this have to do with the Cleaver Squad?” Old Chen asked.
“Don’t you think public order in the country is in such a mess right now that we desperately need a thorough cleanup?” Li Yi replied, dodging the question.
Old Chen pondered for a moment, then said, “Indeed, we’ve noticed this situation as well. According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, crime rates across the country have skyrocketed in recent years. People have long been suggesting a major crackdown, but the higher-ups haven’t yet decided how to proceed!”
Li Yi immediately replied, “In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary. The Kitchen Knife Squad is just one example. Even in places like Beijing and Tianjin, gangs are rampant and thugs roam the streets—you can imagine just how dire the public security situation is nationwide right now.”
“I believe that under the current circumstances, we should organize a special campaign targeting criminal activities. We must resolutely say ‘no’ to criminals, crack down on these illegal and criminal practices, and restore a just and orderly society for the people!”
“A special operation?”
“Yes, we need to crack down hard on all current serious criminal offenses. Sentencing and enforcement must be severe and swift!” Li Yi said.
Old Chen nodded and said, “It is indeed necessary…”
Suddenly, as if realizing something, his expression froze for a moment, then he looked at Li Yi and said, “What a clever move—‘Xian Zhuang dances with his sword, but his intent is aimed at Pei Gong.’ I’m afraid this special operation you’re talking about is primarily targeting the Liu family!”
Li Yi didn’t deny it. Instead, he pulled a thick stack of documents from the military satchel he carried and handed it to Old Chen.
With a hint of puzzlement, Old Chen immediately took the documents and began to look through them.
After just a few glances, Old Chen’s expression changed.
After a long moment, he asked in a low voice, “Is all this true?”
“I’m not sure about the authenticity, but this information was all uncovered by State Security!” Li Yi replied.
“Then there’s no problem!” Old Chen said.
Old Chen knew better than anyone what the State Security Bureau was all about.
Aside from lacking the power to pass judgment, State Security is essentially the modern-day Imperial Guard; the authenticity of their investigations is generally guaranteed.
At that moment, Li Yi took another stack of documents from his bag and handed them to Old Chen, saying, “What you just looked at were only the criminal facts regarding the Kitchen Knife Gang. Please take a look at the gang situations in Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas as well. Oh, and the last section contains the evidence of Liu Dongping’s Dragon and Tiger Gang’s crimes!”
Old Chen took the documents and began reading again. The more he read, the darker his expression grew. When he reached the evidence regarding the Dragon-Tiger Gang, he could no longer contain himself and slammed the papers down hard on the coffee table.
“This is utter lawlessness! Do they have any regard for the law? Do they even recognize the rule of law?”
Jiang Shiying hurriedly interjected, “Uncle Chen, please calm down. It’s not worth ruining your health over a bunch of scum like that!”
Li Yi chimed in, “Don’t get so worked up, old man. A big forest has all kinds of birds, and a large field is bound to have pests. As long as we get rid of the pests in time, we’ll have a good harvest come fall!”
Old Chen nodded and said, “Though you’re a bit of a troublemaker, you handled this right. Don’t get involved in what’s left—leave the rest to me and your father!”
“Sir…”
Li Yi had originally wanted to ask, “Are you up to the task, old man?” but then he realized this man’s standing was even higher than his own father’s—saying that would be incredibly rude.
He quickly changed the subject and said, “You’d better brace yourself, sir. Once the crackdown campaign begins, I’m afraid a million people will be arrested and sentenced!”
“A… a million people? Could it really involve that many?” Old Chen said, looking utterly shocked.
“At least that many—the current public security situation is far more dire than anyone could imagine!” Li Yi replied.
Old Chen pondered for a moment, then said, “The more serious it is, the more it proves the necessity of this special operation. I’ll personally report this to the higher-ups. In the meantime, you’d better not cause any trouble!”
“Understood…”
After that, Old Chen gave Li Yi a few more instructions before hurrying out of the Jiang residence.
As he left, he didn’t forget to take the materials Li Yi had brought with him.
Watching Old Chen’s retreating figure, Li Yi knew someone was in for trouble…
……….