Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 179 The Mysterious Li Ruoxue

"I can't say," Song Ya-wen shook her head. "That person should be reliable. Qianjin, what do you think I should do?"

If my father really did that, he would be a traitor to the country!

"Sister Ya-wen, have you ever considered that the person who told you this news might have ulterior motives?"

They might want to use you to sabotage your father and Suha's plans.

"I know," Song Ya-wen said with a wry smile, "but what if it's true? If I know about it and don't report it, I'll be an accomplice."

Looking at the girl in front of him, caught in a moral dilemma, Wu Zhiyuan felt a mix of emotions.

Song Ya-wen is different from her father; she has a conscience and a bottom line.

"Sister Ya-wen, if you trust me, you can tell me everything you know."

Perhaps I can help you determine whether this news is true or false.

Song Ya-wen looked at him, her eyes hesitant.

Finally, she nodded: "Okay, I'll tell you. But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone, including my dad, until things are cleared up."

I promise you.

"Qianjin, the person who told me the news was Aunt Li."

Wu Zhiyuan was stunned.

Li Ruoxue?

"Aunt Li said that she overheard my father talking to Suha and those two beautiful Chinese men."

They planned to send people to infiltrate the crowd and cause an explosion on the day of the military base's opening ceremony.

Then they blamed the government's security loopholes, inciting public discontent and creating a pretext for Suhar's rise to power.

"Why did Aunt Li tell you all this?" Wu Zhiyuan asked.

She said that although she married my father, she did not agree with his actions.

She added that she had a younger brother who died in political unrest, so she abhorred such political conspiracies that exploit violence.

Song Ya-wen looked at Wu Zhi-yuan: "Qianjin, do you think what Aunt Li said is true?"

Wu Zhiyuan pondered for a moment.

Li Ruoxue's words have some merit, but they cannot be completely trusted.

This woman is too mysterious; her motives are unclear.

"Sister Ya-wen, this is a serious matter, we need more evidence."

If what Aunt Li said is true, then we should try to stop it.

But if it's fake, we might fall into a trap if we act rashly.

"That's what I think too. That's why I need your help."

"Go ahead, can you help me investigate? Find out exactly what my father is doing."

Wu Zhiyuan was secretly delighted.

This is exactly what he needs—a legitimate reason to investigate Song Yaozu.

"Sister Ya-wen, I'm willing to help you. But investigating your father is dangerous; if he finds out..."

"I know it's dangerous," Song Ya-wen said firmly, "but if my father is really doing something that harms the country, I must stop him. It's my responsibility as his daughter."

Wu Zhiyuan looked at Song Yawen and suddenly had a newfound respect for the girl.

"Okay, I'll help you. But we need to be careful. First, we need to confirm whether Aunt Li's words are credible."

"How do I confirm?"

"Aunt Li said she overheard your father and Suha talking. What was the content of that conversation?"

What was the time, place, and who was involved? Also, did she record any audio or video?

Song Ya-wen shook her head: "Aunt Li said she overheard it by chance and didn't record it."

It happened last night in my father's study.

Besides my father and Suha, the participants included those two handsome Chinese men and a port authority official.

"A port authority official? What's his name?"

"Chen Wenqiang".

Wu Zhiyuan's heart stirred.

It's Chen Wenqiang again!

The newly arrived deputy director of the port is the one who detained Ya Yun Trading's goods.

Everything is connected.

"Sister Ya-wen, how much do you know about this Chen Wenqiang?"

"I don't know much about it. I've only heard my father mention it a few times. He said it's a powerful figure newly transferred to the port authority, and all port-related matters will have to go through him from now on."

Song Ya-wen was taken aback and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with him?"

"Maybe." Wu Zhiyuan didn't elaborate. "Sister Ya-wen, could you try to get your father's meeting minutes or similar documents from his study? Or, did Aunt Li mention any specific details of the plan?"

Song Ya-wen thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Li said that they mentioned a code name, Operation Tsunami."

The plan was to carry out an explosion on the east side of the viewing platform at 10:00 AM on the day of the launch ceremony.

Operation Tsunami! What is the connection between this and Project Tide?

Are they different phases of the same plan, or two separate actions?

Wu Zhiyuan felt that the matter was far more complicated than he had imagined.

"Sister Ya-wen, thank you for telling me this. I will investigate."

But before you have solid evidence, don't act rashly, and don't discuss this matter with Aunt Li again, lest you alert her.

"I understand." Song Ya-wen nodded. "Qianjin, thank you for your help. I can only trust you with this."

Looking into Song Yawen's trusting eyes, Wu Zhiyuan felt a pang of guilt.

He was exploiting her trust to serve his own agenda.

Although both aim to stop a conspiracy, their motives are different.

"Sister Ya-wen, I will do my best," Wu Zhiyuan said solemnly.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the pavilion.

The two turned around and saw Song Yating walking towards them.

"Sister, Mr. Wu, you're here." Song Yating walked over with a smile. "Aunt Li asked me to come find you, saying that dinner is ready."

"Okay, we'll be right there," Song Yawen said, while secretly giving Wu Zhiyuan a wink.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded in understanding.

On the way, Song Yating chattered about interesting things that happened at school, making the atmosphere much more relaxed.

But Wu Zhiyuan knew that beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were surging.

During dinner, Li Ruoxue behaved as usual, elegant and poised, chatting and laughing.

But Wu Zhiyuan noticed that she would occasionally look at Song Yawen with a questioning look in her eyes.

Song Ya-wen avoided her gaze.

Song Yaozu did not appear; the servant said he was in his study dealing with urgent matters.

After dinner, Wu Zhiyuan escorted Song Yawen back to her room.

At the door, Song Ya-wen suddenly said, "Qianjin, are you free tomorrow night? I want to go to the port to check on the seized goods. Can you come with me?"

Tomorrow night? That's the time we agreed on at warehouse number 7 at the dock.

"Sister Ya-Wen, I might have something to do tomorrow night..."

"Is it something very important?" Song Ya-wen asked. "If it's not particularly important, could you postpone it? I'm a little worried about the port. I don't have a good feeling about Chen Wen-qiang."

Wu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and finally nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you."

"Thank you, Qianjin." Song Yawen smiled. "Then we'll set off at seven o'clock tomorrow night."

"OK."

Back in the outer room, Wu Zhiyuan immediately contacted Liu Mingxuan via an encrypted communicator to report the intelligence he had obtained from Song Yawen and the arrangements for the following night.

Liu Mingxuan said, "Operation Tsunami is likely to be a core part of the Tide Project."

Go forward, your decision is right.

Accompanying Song Ya-wen to the port will both cover for you and allow for further investigation of Chen Wen-qiang.

As for the traps at the dock, I will arrange for someone else to go.

"But that would be too dangerous. The enemy is clearly after me."

"Don't worry, I will arrange for Zhou Rui to lead the team. He has extensive experience in special operations."

Your primary task now is to gain Song Ya-wen's complete trust and obtain more information from the Song family.

"clear."

"Also, regarding Li Ruoxue, this woman is not simple."

We investigated her background; on the surface, she appears to be just a washed-up actress who married into a wealthy family.

However, some clues suggest that she may have connections with a foreign intelligence agency.

Wu Zhiyuan was startled: "You suspect she's a spy?"

"It's uncertain, but highly likely. She proactively revealed information to Song Ya-wen, possibly intending to use Song Ya-wen to sabotage Song Yao-zu's plans."

But we still don't know her true purpose. You must be careful of her.

"I will."

After ending the call, Wu Zhiyuan lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Is Li Ruoxue a spy?

If that's the case, then her purpose in revealing information to Song Ya-wen was not out of conscience, but rather for a deeper calculation.

There's also Chen Wenqiang, the newly appointed deputy director of the port authority, Song Yaozu's collaborator, and the person who detained Ya Yun Trading's goods...

All these clues seem to point to a vast conspiracy network.