Chapter 54: Trickery
The office was so quiet it could scare a mosquito to death.
Outside the office was about the same.
The office’s soundproofing wasn’t that good. Deputy Division Chief Gu’s arrival had already attracted everyone’s attention in the section, and the sounds of slamming the table and shouting were so loud that the clerks outside, who had already perked up their ears to listen, couldn’t avoid hearing.
A bunch of people tiptoed over, sticking to the wall with tense faces.
As Liu Xiaolou came out, everyone immediately scattered like birds and beasts. In no time, they gathered again, whispering.
The section chief is done for, the section is about to change, and if things go badly, all of them will be in trouble too. From top to bottom, executed one by one—it’s hard to find an innocent person in the General Affairs Section.
As Liu Xiaolou returned holding a coffee cup, everyone scattered like birds and beasts again. As soon as Liu Xiaolou entered the door, they immediately came over and crouched by the wall.
Today, nothing would be more important than what was happening inside. Everyone’s future would be decided the moment Deputy Division Chief Gu walked out.
But their hearts were up and down, far less tormented than the mood of the people in the room. Deputy Division Chief Gu hadn’t spoken again since Liu Xiaolou went out; the quiet wait for judgment was excruciating.
Fortunately, Liu Xiaolou’s entrance broke the atmosphere. Liu Xiaolou delivered the coffee to Gu Yansheng and casually mentioned in a low voice, “Division Chief, the people from the General Affairs Section are all gathered outside listening.”
“If they like to listen, let them. Do you think this bunch doesn’t know?”
Gu Yansheng didn’t care at all about this kind of thing spreading, so as not to have some people in the department, just like these two in front of him, really treat him like some clueless newbie fooling around and wasting time.
He was just afraid they wouldn’t dare go out and say it themselves.
His gaze swept over the two men, and he shouted at Lin Dechang: “No backbone, huh? Kneel at the slightest thing—you think this is the Qing Dynasty? Want me to arrange an airplane to send you to Manchuria to kneel to Puyi to your heart’s content?”
“Got one, got one.” Lin Dechang quickly got up, stood with his head bowed.
“Get out!”
“Yes.”
“Xiao Lou, you go out first too.”
“Okay.”
The only ones left in the room were Gu Yansheng and Liao Litang. Liu Xiaolou thoughtfully closed the door.
Gu Yansheng glanced at Liao Litang, who was standing with his head bowed and back hunched, and picked up the unfinished document on the table.
Basic medical care, 50 silver dollars per day.
Equipment maintenance, like prison cell repairs and replacement of torture tools, averaged out to 50 silver dollars per day.
Administrative expenses, like documents, water and electricity fees, prisoner transfer fees, gasoline fees, garbage disposal fees, all miscellaneous—added up, 100 silver dollars per day.
These two expenses alone were 6000 silver dollars a month.
And the last item, also the largest expense, was the prisoners’ food costs.
2578 detainees, 0.15 silver dollars per person per day, totaling 11600 silver dollars per month.
There was more complaining content next, as well as explanations for the amounts in this report, but Gu Yansheng was too lazy to look. He tossed the document back on the table and said to Liao Litang.
“On one hand you tell me medical care is bad, no doctors, on the other you claim 1500 silver dollars a month—that’s one thing, prison guards get sick and need treatment, pocketing a little is human nature.
But saying the Japanese are willing to spend 10,000 silver dollars a month to feed a bunch of prisoners worthless to them—no dog would believe that!
Spill it—what’s the deal with the jailbreak at the Second Prison?”
At this point, Liao Litang had nothing left to hide.
He coughed to clear his throat and said in a low voice: “Report to the Division Chief, the Second Prison’s accounts were too messy, afraid you’d audit them, so they suggested to me this method of burning the ledgers. According to the warden, as long as the ledgers are gone, it becomes a muddled account—even if checked again, some numbers not matching is normal, so it avoids punishment.”
“That’s it? By your account, just set a fire and it’s done—why bother staging a jailbreak?”
“Yes, there’s more. You said at the meeting you wanted to release those detainees, but the prison side didn’t actually want to let them go, because these people could generate revenue for the prison.
So they staged a jailbreak to prove these weren’t just ordinary people mistakenly arrested—there were hidden agents or important figures inside, so the other side would send people to rescue them.
Then, by convention, the prison has to screen for hidden agents among them. Once screening starts, the timeline is uncertain—it could drag on for a year or so, which is normal, and these people get kept.”
“Prove to whom?”
“First to you, then to the Gendarmerie Headquarters, because they were afraid you’d still decide to release them after knowing, afraid it wouldn’t work, but the Japanese would definitely take it seriously.”
“I figured as much.”
Gu Yansheng smiled after hearing it. “Not a bad idea, quite creative—this guy’s background? Wasted as a warden.”
Liao Litang said straightforwardly: “Related to the president of the Suzhou Maintenance Association—they’re in-laws.”
Gu Yansheng nodded, saying no more. These days, to get a plum position like warden, you can’t do it without backing.
It was just that his initial guess was the former division chief or deputy—didn’t expect it to actually be Suzhou connections.
Gu Yansheng continued: “I saw in the report just now that this Shanghai prison holds about 1200 accidentally arrested people. Excluding the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, there’s still over 700 who can be released to work.
Each person’s income averages 6 silver dollars a month, that’s generating 4200 silver dollars in revenue for the prison, to some extent compensating for funding shortages. How much water is in these numbers?”
Liao Litang said, “The number of accidentally arrested people is probably a bit less than the registered over 1200, because some may have been bought out by families with money—I don’t know the exact number.
But among the rest, the actual number working should be over 1500.
Of which over 1000 fall into this category of 1200 accidentally arrested, and another over 500 are light offenders who were sentenced but performed well.
Specific income: since they’re criminals, they’re underpaid, but overall, average 8 silver dollars a month income—that’s what I know.
And whether those enterprises using the labor gave kickbacks to the warden side, I don’t know—probably yes.”
“No wonder they tried every trick not to let me release them.”
Gu Yansheng now understood everything—it was blocking their financial path, and a big one.
Just the numbers in the report versus what came out of Liao Litang’s mouth, the calculable difference was 7800 silver dollars a month.
7800 silver dollars!
In the French Concession, decent small houses—could buy two sets a month.
No wonder Prison Management Section Chief Ma Sihai stated at the meeting that releasing people would cause even bigger deficits.
1500 people working for them for free, people released, revenue gone—they’d be strange not to panic.
“Whose idea? Ma Sihai’s? Or yours?”
“No, the warden’s. The prison really lacks funding, and his in-law, the president of the Suzhou Maintenance Association, has wide connections and knows many businessmen, so he came up with this idea: use prisoners for work. The Chamber of Commerce gets cheap labor funding benefits, and the prison gets money to operate.”
“Both sides benefit—a great idea.” Gu Yansheng said this, but his tone had not a shred of praise.
Actually, Gu Yansheng knew corruption definitely existed; he wasn’t planning to deal with it, nothing to deal with.
Pocket some medical fees, some food fees—if you’ve got the skills, even emptying the city government’s warehouse has nothing to do with him.
He wasn’t here to manage money for the Japanese—let them embezzle. Officials in the National Government embezzled, now helping the Japanese and not embezzling? That doesn’t make sense.
If they didn’t embezzle, Gu Yansheng would curse them as wastes even if he found out.
Truth is, all the funding in this government is for dealing with anti-Japanese elements—someone embezzling more is all to the good.
But not embezzling Japanese money, only embezzling Chinese money—that’s too spineless, pure wastes.
“You’re still honest.”
Gu Yansheng stood up, tapping the report against his leg, looking at him: “Want to live or die?”
“Live.” Liao Litang didn’t hesitate, looking straight into Gu Yansheng’s eyes honestly and sincerely.
Both smart people—after all this talk, Gu Yansheng hadn’t handed him over to the Law Enforcement Department. Liao Litang knew there was hope.
Gu Yansheng said straightforwardly: “The people I definitely have to release—this relates to the Judicial Department’s reform plans. Externally we reform, internally I don’t want any fuss.
Things need people to handle them, reform measures need tight cooperation from department personnel. The division chief and deputy were just taken down—you section chiefs are now among the few main forces left in the department.
On this account, I can protect you once, let you atone with merit.
Remember: if one day your matters leak out and the Japanese find out, this is both the reason I’m protecting you today and the reason I can save your life in front of the Japanese later.”
“Understood.” Liao Litang immediately kowtowed, saying solemnly: “Thank you, Division Chief. I will do my utmost to push your reforms, and guarantee from now on all matters will follow your lead.”
Gu Yansheng waved it off. “I won’t listen to empty words—show it in your actions later. Later, contact Ma Sihai yourself. You General Affairs Section plus Prison Management Section, get all the preparations done before releasing people. Clean the prison—no filth or mess. There might be social figures then, and Japanese higher-ups inspecting. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Mm, I don’t like that warden. After releasing people, your prison lacks funding, right? Then you and Ma Sihai figure out a way to set a trap, make him spit out the money. Once the deficit is covered, your problems aren’t big.
As for whether he bites back after taking the loss, handle it well yourself?”
Liao Litang thought for a moment and nodded: “Don’t worry, Division Chief, I’ll handle it then.”
Gu Yansheng patted his shoulder—all that needed saying was said. Time to go.
“Oh, right—that prison, don’t clean it too spotless, or it’ll look too fake.”
Receiving this shoulder pat reassurance, Liao Litang bowed deeply: “Yes, take care, Division Chief.”
“Xiao Lou, let’s go.”
“Coming.” Liu Xiaolou quickly grabbed the cup.
