MWC – Chapter 137 Stewart’s Elegy

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

The vehicle drove for a while.

Lu Ming said to Murong Xue, “In a while, you’ll get off ahead and draft a memo for the Election Supervision Committee. List all the people accompanying Yang Guiren and report this incident of distributing mooncakes and gift vouchers. The key point is to state that if any of Yang Guiren’s companions later announce their candidacy for the Third District councilor, it would amount to indirect vote-buying!”

Yang Guiren brought along Madam Jia, introducing her prominently, though he did not mention her candidacy.

But in ten days or so, Madam Jia could find an excuse, claiming that after visiting the constituency with a former councilor, she felt compelled to do something for the people and decided to run for councilor.

It’s a well-calculated plan.

Murong Xue was stunned for a moment upon hearing Lu Ming’s words, then chuckled softly. This approach was a clever countermeasure.

…

The military academy’s location had already been selected. It was the old campus of a third-rate university in the Xinfang District that had relocated to a satellite town. The old campus was under renovation and was nearly complete.

When Lu Ming initially proposed the Public Security Armed Police Force, he hadn’t anticipated Major General Neville to develop it so vigorously.

This armed force, authorized to have 1,500 personnel, would consist of over two-thirds transferred from various riot control units within the police force, with only a few hundred reservists recruited into active service.

In the Greater Donghai Metropolitan Area, there were over 20,000 police officers, and the integration of about a thousand into the armed police force had minimal impact.

After the parliament approved the official establishment of the military academy, all 1,500 personnel would enter the new academy for professional training in their new roles.

Of course, this would be a short-term training course, lasting only three months. By next summer, the academy would start admitting students from the general public, accepting those who graduated from primary school. The program would last seven years, after which graduates could be selected to join the Public Security Armed Forces, with others entering the police force or security companies.

Currently, there were a dozen instructors, mostly Westerners. At the navy restaurant, Lu Ming met with them, discussed matters over food and drinks for three or four hours. After receiving a phone call, he excused himself, and the meeting adjourned.

…

In the South Wing of Freedom Tower, second floor, at the office of the Special Advisor to the Chief Prosecutor.

Lu Ming reviewed a complaint in his hands.

The spacious office, furnished in Western aristocratic style, included an impressive desk with a decorative inkwell and quill, fitting the decor.

The large floor-to-ceiling windows draped with curtains allowed the warm sunset to cast a golden glow, enhancing the luxurious atmosphere.

Lu Ming didn’t particularly favor Western styles, but he acknowledged that an office with an old aristocratic European feel had a certain prestige.

The complaint he was reviewing alleged that North Guan Prosecutor Hou Dexing was guilty of corruption, having wrongfully declared the drowning of an elderly man, who had been pushed into the water by the influential son of North Guan councilor Gao Depei, as an accident.

The complaint was brought to him by Cheng Lingyu, who had submitted it after Hou Dexing successfully passed an internal investigation, which found no procedural violations.

Although the High Prosecutor’s Office hadn’t decided on whether to conduct a deeper investigation, Cheng Lingyu decided to pass all relevant materials to Lu Ming, considering it might be useful for his campaign.

Lu Ming understood that Cheng Lingyu saw potential utility in the case for his election and left the handling of it to him.

The phone call he received at the navy restaurant was from Cheng Lingyu, who also sent over all the case files.

The case materials included the investigation reports by Hou Dexing and the police.

The deceased was Gao Depei’s family gardener, over seventy years old.

The investigation report included a coroner’s report stating that the gardener had drowned. However, his body bore multiple old injuries from beatings, and he had a new head wound, leading to an initial investigation for unnatural death. Initially, a servant’s statement suggested that Gao Depei’s young son had pushed the gardener into the water. The police transferred the evidence to the prosecutor’s office, and Hou Dexing was assigned to the case.

However, later investigations concluded that the gardener’s head wound matched the swimming pool drain pipe, suggesting he had fallen accidentally and struck his head while struggling.

The old injuries were attributed to long-term abuse by the gardener’s son.

More importantly, Gao Depei’s son was only nine years old and was an exemplary student at Windsor Academy, vouched for by many teachers, including the principal, as being incapable of such cruelty.

The servant who initially accused Gao Depei’s son was revealed to be a notorious drunkard whose statements were unreliable.

Gao Depei’s son was indeed his youngest, born when he was over sixty. Gao Depei had high expectations for this son and was known for strict rather than indulgent parenting. Many of his friends and family were aware of his stringent discipline and the boy’s outstanding character.

Lu Ming slowly read to the last page, then said, “Minister Liu, take this and let everyone review it. Bring me a summary of their opinions in an hour.”

Liu Teng, who had been sitting partially on a sofa chair, quickly got up, took the materials with a smile, and left.

Liu Teng was the former leader of Team 2 in the Operations Office and Deputy Chief Prosecutor.

In Lu Ming’s independent department, Liu Teng was the head among the prosecutors and assistant prosecutors, effectively making him the minister of this independent office.

Watching Liu Teng close his office door with a smile, Lu Ming stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, pondering the case.

Coincidentally, Gao Depei was also a Justice Party councilor and the party leader.

He was also the vice-chairman of the North Guan Parliament.

Gao Depei had significant prestige, yet he had always narrowly missed entering the Seven-Member Committee in every election.

This term, with Elder Qing stepping down, Gao Depei was the most likely candidate with the highest public support.

The Justice Party had robust strength, but as a local party in North Guan, it lacked the luck or upper-tier support to become a major party in Donghai.

Otherwise, Gao Depei would have had no issue entering the Seven-Member Committee.

However, now, the representative of the Backlow family, Madam Jia, was in the Third District with Justice Party councilor Yang Guiren.

Yang Guiren gave up the Third District election.

All these events indicated a possible agreement between the Backlow family and the Justice Party.

Gao Depei, after multiple defeats, might have finally sought the Backlow family’s support to enter the Seven-Member Committee, making this his best chance. If missed, he would have no future opportunities.

The Backlow family’s support meant the Justice Party would become an allied or puppet party of the Backlow family’s “Free Citizens Movement.”

If this is the case, the potential changes it could bring need careful consideration.

…

Less than half an hour later, Liu Teng returned with a smile, reporting that opinions were divided. Some believed a deeper investigation was necessary, while others felt the original investigation was reasonable and further inquiry would be a waste of time.

Lu Ming, feeling helpless, understood the situation with his team of misfits. They likely didn’t discuss much and waited for the special advisor’s direction.

“Minister Liu, do you think a further investigation is needed?” Lu Ming asked.

Liu Teng immediately looked troubled but quickly replied, “This subordinate think it should be investigated. Personally, I feel there are many suspicious points in this case.” Clearly, he gambled that Lu Ming, valuing his time, wouldn’t want to waste it on an unnecessary case.

Hearing Liu Teng refer to himself as “subordinate,” though not for the first time, Lu Ming still found it odd.

This term was a self-reference used by lower-level officials in the old bureaucratic system. It was not a term used by prosecutors since the establishment of the High Prosecutor’s Office.

Moreover, even in those old bureaucratic institutions, this kind of self-reference has become quite rare. It’s still more commonly seen in the north.

Lu Ming took a sip of water from his teacup and nodded. “Alright, let’s do it your way. You take people to Gao Depei’s house and talk to those witnesses again to see if you can find any new evidence. Also, bring this Gao…” He glanced at the file for the name, “…this Gao Yulong back here for questioning.”

“Ah?” Liu Teng was taken aback.

Seeing Lu Ming frown, he immediately stood at attention. “Yes, sir!”

Liu Teng wasn’t from the North District and the prosecution system operated independently, so whether someone was a council member or not didn’t matter much to him. This wasn’t his office, and he just followed orders, regardless of the consequences.

Since Commissioner Lu wanted the investigation, then an investigation it would be.

After Liu Teng left, there was soon a flurry of footsteps outside. Shortly after, a dozen people in prosecutor uniforms and action team black uniforms rushed out of the Freedom Building to the parking lot, and several cars quickly drove away.

Lu Ming stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, contemplating.

…

Half an hour later, the phone on the desk rang. Lu Ming picked it up.

A loud voice came through the receiver. “Is this Commissioner Lu? This is Gao Depei! Haha, I’ve heard a lot about you and have always wanted to meet you.”

Lu Ming smiled. “Councilor Gao, it’s an honor. It’s my fault for not visiting earlier, but given our status differences, I didn’t want to intrude.”

“Commissioner Lu, you’re too kind,” Gao Depei laughed. “About the incident with my household servant’s death, is there any new development? Why are your people re-investigating?”

“Just routine,” Lu Ming chuckled. “You should know that Prosecutor Hou Dexing, who handled the case earlier, was investigated internally. I’m just following procedure to review the case. Don’t be too concerned. If there’s no issue, it’s just a formality.”

“Hou Dexing? Wasn’t that a misunderstanding, resolved by the internal investigation?” Gao Depei’s tone was slightly puzzled.

Lu Ming smiled. “It seems the Vice Speaker is quite concerned about this case.”

“Of course, Wang Bo served my family diligently for over thirty years. His death pained me greatly!” Gao Depei sighed deeply. “But it’s infuriating to hear baseless rumors that my nine-year-old son was involved.”

“Vice Speaker, rest assured, the truth will prevail. No worries.”

“Alright, Commissioner Lu, I don’t mean to interfere with your investigation. I just wanted to vent my frustrations. Your people should handle this as they see fit.”

“Thank you, Vice Speaker. I appreciate your understanding.” Lu Ming smiled.

…

In the evening, Liu Teng returned with his team. They didn’t bring Gao Depei’s son, Gao Yulong, but instead brought back a drunk Western vagrant.

The vagrant immediately vomited upon exiting the vehicle. He was taken to the interrogation room in the south wing, where he vomited again before passing out on the floor.

From outside the interrogation room, Lu Ming observed the mess and the two assistant prosecutors, Zhao and Zhang, cleaning up.

Lu Ming frowned. “What’s going on?”

Liu Teng smiled wryly. “Commissioner, this is the witness who initially claimed Gao Depei’s son pushed the gardener into the water. Turns out he’s a drunkard, and a Westerner. Gao Depei’s family must be quite affluent to have a Western servant. But this guy looks like a vagrant, always drunk and rambling. Gao’s other servants confirmed this.”

Lu Ming nodded, thinking Liu Teng was quite sharp. Despite the man being a drunkard, questioning him might still reveal something.

“Let him sober up and then question him about what he saw that day.” Lu Ming turned to leave the room.

“Commissioner, this guy committed murder. That’s why I brought him in.” Liu Teng said wryly.

“What?” Lu Ming immediately turned around, frowning.

“His initial testimony claimed Gao’s son pushed the gardener. When we couldn’t find him, a servant discovered him asleep in the wine cellar, surrounded by broken bottles and red wine, with the body of the maid who regularly cleaned the cellar lying nearby. Her body was cold and stiff, indicating she didn’t die after we arrived.”

Liu Teng gestured toward the interrogation room. “This guy was holding a broken bottle, possibly covered in blood, mixed with wine, so I couldn’t tell. That’s why I brought him back and left people to watch the scene. I’ve also notified the medical examiner and police.”

Lu Ming looked at the vagrant inside the interrogation room, who was being lifted and leaned against the wall by an assistant. Despite his weathered appearance, he might only be in his forties.

“Commissioner, you won’t believe this, but he arrived at the Gao household last year, claiming his name was Jeff Stewart! Not sure if it’s true. Two hundred years ago, those named Stewart in East Sea were all noble.”

“Stewart?” Lu Ming was stunned. He looked closely at the vagrant, making a gesture. “Clean his face. Let me have a good look.”

The vagrant’s high, handsome nose reminded Lu Ming of Pamela and Bess’s features, which contributed to his youthful appearance despite his ragged state.

But could it be? Pamela mentioned sending money to her mother anonymously months ago, yet hadn’t had the courage to meet her.

Could this vagrant be related to Pamela? Even her father?