eurekapd Chapter 2055 What a brilliant counter-espionage scheme!
Chapter 2055 What a brilliant counter-espionage scheme!
At this moment, under the window outside the west wing, Song Ziming squatted like Maitreya Buddha, his ear tightly pressed against the wall with the modified stethoscope, his face flushed with excitement.
A younger brother of his was hiding with him under a large canopy in the rice granary, rapidly recording the key information that Song Ziming was repeating in extremely dim light.
"The Ten-Family Plan... The main family will try to disrupt things first and attract attention..."
"Hiss, the other families are waiting for their chance to act, confirming Mu Huanying's... account books!"
"Qian Houjin acted without authorization...disrupting the plan..."
"The Song family's support has changed their plans!"
"The Liu family is here at 8:40!"
The messages were quickly recorded.
After a short while, when no more audible sounds came from inside the room, Song Ziming gave a wink to the brother who was recording the information.
“I’ve written it all down, young master!” The man paused, then confirmed with him.
"Hahaha!" Song Ziming listened for a while, put down the stethoscope, turned around and saw the words on the paper, patted him on the shoulder, "Quick, go and report to Brother Nan, hahahaha!"
The brother immediately opened the rice bin like a cat, peeked outside, and slipped out silently.
Song Ziming listened for a while with the modified stethoscope, confirming that there was nothing else noteworthy. But he was still worried about leaving, so he opened the door of the rice warehouse and waved to the Song family members who were waiting under the eaves, asking them to come over and continue listening. Then he patted his bottom and ran out.
Li Xiangnan was talking to Hao Jian, the squad leader, by the small gate in the backyard when he saw the young servant from the Song family rushing over. He then said goodbye to Hao Jian and came over, taking the note covered with keywords.
His gaze shifted from initial solemnity to sharpness, finally flashing with a knowing, cold light.
really!
The ten families from Yanjing were indeed after Grandma and that mysterious account book.
Moreover, they were not without method, but rather had a plan and division of labor.
This main family, the most domineering and forceful family, was placed at the forefront, with the aim of creating chaos and pressure to attract public attention.
Other families might blend in with the later guests, or take advantage of the chaos created by the main family to secretly conduct real investigations or even take action.
Qian Houjin's unauthorized early arrival not only exposed the rifts within the ten families.
In the face of any interests, so-called alliances are still incredibly fragile!
Moreover, it disrupted the plans of the ten families, greatly diminishing the effectiveness of the main family's show of force.
More importantly, through eavesdropping, Li Xiangnan grasped the key outline of the other party's plan, knowing himself and his enemy, and had already taken the initiative!
Thinking of this, Li Xiangnan felt a sense of relief.
Fortunately, fate was on his side, allowing Qian Houjin to arrive first out of greed and recklessness. Otherwise, when that old fellow Zong Wangshan came, he would have been caught off guard and would have been filled with strong dissatisfaction and anger because of the other party's domineering attitude, which would have led to a conflict when he arrived!
Qian Houjin's preventative measures were very timely!
However, he also knew that his confidence in facing Zong Wangshan stemmed from his own preparations and his consistent personality, which prevented him from easily falling into the other party's trap.
Of course, the support from various parties also gave him a lot of confidence.
"Xiang Nan, how's the situation?" Song Cijiu had also come over at some point and asked in a low voice.
Li Xiangnan handed the note to Song Cijiu and whispered, "Second Uncle, as expected, the ten families joined forces. The main family took the lead in creating chaos, while the others took the opportunity to search for Grandma and the account books! Qian Houjin was greedy and wanted to get ahead and take everything for himself, but he ended up making a mess of things!"
Song Cijiu quickly read the note, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "A bunch of rabble, each with their own ulterior motives! This plan seems meticulous, but it's actually full of loopholes! Especially this Qian Houjin... he's nothing to worry about! Xiang Nan, what do you plan to do?"
Li Xiangnan did not answer immediately, but instead handed Song Cijiu a cigarette, his gaze lingering on the west wing as he quickly weighed the options in his mind.
Qian Houjin is now like a frightened bird, scared half to death by Zong Wangshan, and knowing that he has ruined the overall situation, he must be filled with fear and uncertainty about the future!
This mindset is precisely the breakthrough point that can be exploited!
A bold and ingenious plan quickly took shape in his mind.
Seeing Song Ziming rushing over, he waved and called out, "Ziming!"
"Brother Nan!" Song Ziming ran over and took the cigarette.
“Qian Houjin has been interrogated like this by Zong Wangshan inside, and given the shock he experienced earlier, I reckon he’ll soon find an excuse to come out for some fresh air, like going to the restroom!” Li Xiangnan said calmly, with a hint of certainty in his voice. “Go find Sun Jie, have him ‘accidentally’ run into Qian Houjin, and then… say this to him…”
Li Xiangnan lowered his voice and carefully gave Song Ziming instructions.
His plan was very simple at its core.
Taking advantage of Qian Houjin's fear and desire to protect himself, Sun Jie, an "outsider," stepped forward to convey a message to him.
Li Xiangnan already knew about the ten families' plan and that Qian Houjin was acting on his own.
Now Li Xiangnan can give him a chance: if Qian Houjin is willing to cooperate "to a limited extent," such as revealing which of the ten families will be attending today, how they will intervene in the wedding banquet, whether there are any specific action signals, etc.—those less core but sufficiently key information—then Li Xiangnan can assure him that, at least on today's occasion, the Qian family will not be embarrassed. Even afterwards, he can consider giving the Qian family leeway in certain matters, at least ensuring they are not the first to be purged!
This proposal demonstrates excellent judgment.
This gave Qian Houjin a lifeline without making him betray the ten families' most core secrets, such as the specific contents of the account books and the direct instructions from the Shangguan family, thus preventing him from becoming desperate due to the thorough betrayal!
At the same time, the information requested was sufficient for Li Xiangnan to make an accurate judgment and preparation for today's situation!
"Make sure Sun Jie doesn't speak too confidently. He needs to maintain a high profile and make him feel that Dr. Li is giving him one last chance because he was the first to come and offer his congratulations and because of the gift! His tone should be warning, but also leave room for maneuver!" Li Xiangnan gave as a final instruction.
Song Ziming's eyes lit up as he listened, and he nodded repeatedly: "I understand, Brother Nan, this is a counter-espionage scheme to undermine them from within! I'll go and arrange it for Brother Sun right away!"
After listening to this, Song Cijiu couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh: "What a brilliant counter-espionage scheme! A slap followed by a sweet treat, it both puts the Qian family in a bad light, gets the intelligence we need, and makes them suspicious of each other! Xiang Nan, your move was brilliant!"
Li Xiangnan smiled slightly, but his eyes remained calm: "Second Uncle, you flatter me! This is only the first step. Next, we'll see whether this smiling tiger, Third Master Qian, will choose to grasp at this straw or continue to fight to the bitter end!"
Just then, the door to the west wing creaked open a crack from the inside.
Pale-faced and unsteady on his feet, Qian Houjin clutched his stomach and peeked out at He Shun, who was guarding outside the door, asking, "Young man, excuse me... where's the toilet? Is it far... in the backyard? My stomach's a bit upset..."
He Shun immediately led the way with concern: "Third Master Qian, this way please, let me take you there!"
Qian Houjin felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly followed him out. Before leaving, he glanced back guiltily into the room.
Zong Wangshan remained seated there, his face ashen, while Zong Chengjia and Zong Jiye watched him leave with icy gazes.
The opportunity has arrived!
Li Xiangnan, Song Ziming, and Song Cijiu exchanged a knowing glance.
Song Ziming immediately and quietly withdrew to arrange a chance encounter for Sun Jie.
Li Xiangnan straightened his clothes, and his calm and composed smile returned to his face. He said to Song Cijiu, "Second Uncle, let's go. We should go to the front and properly 'entertain' the other guests!"
His gaze seemed to pierce through the courtyard wall and reach the guests who were arriving one after another.
Mr. Qian, you'd better fall into this trap of double agents!