Chapter Thirty: Sent Inside

After the death of two rickshaw pullers at the Wang Rickshaw Agency was reported by the *Shen Pao*, other newspapers in Shanghai followed suit, creating a massive stir within the International Settlement.

Under this pressure, several media outlets demanded to interview the two perpetrators, Tang Zhiqing and Ma Xiaoliu, to uncover the truth. To quell the public outcry, Settlement officials arranged a press conference, permitting the two culprits to make a public confession.

On the eve of the press conference, Wang Chengyun hosted a dinner at his restaurant for his lawyer, Chief Inspector Gao, and others, confident that he had successfully cleared his name.

Over dinner, the lawyer remarked, "Boss Wang, once Tang and Ma confess tomorrow, the case will be ironclad. We won’t even need to wait for a formal trial; it will be closed."

Wang immediately replied, "This is all thanks to you, Lawyer Lin, and of course, Chief Inspector Gao."

He had to admit that having a lawyer made all the difference. If the incident had been framed as a "tragedy sparked by rickshaw pullers opposing a rent hike," he would never have escaped. Instead, they had recharacterized the event as an "internal dispute among pullers," which naturally absolved him of responsibility.

Lawyer Lin chuckled, "Actually, it had nothing to do with you to begin with. You didn't join the beating, nor did you order it. To put it bluntly, it was just Tang Zhiqing trying to curry favor and causing a mess."

Hearing this, Wang felt his last lingering traces of guilt vanish entirely.

"Exactly, exactly! These people are always so reckless!"

At this point, Chief Inspector Gao spoke with a meaningful look, "Since the case will be effectively closed after tomorrow's press conference, what about our... arrangement?"

Last time, to avoid suspicion, he hadn't taken a single cent; after all, reporters were present, and he couldn't exactly take money and leave. Now, the greedy inspector was impatient for his payment.

Wang felt a pang of heartache, but replied, "Don't worry, Chief Inspector, I have it ready. I will have it delivered to your home first thing."

"Ha! That puts my mind at ease!"

Lawyer Lin felt a sense of contempt for the Chief Inspector—these men with strong limbs but empty heads were no better than beggars. Unlike him, he could earn his money with dignity and refinement.

When the dinner ended, Wang was escorted back to his residence by officers under Gao’s command to warn the other pullers not to cause trouble.

"They know better than to mess with me," Wang muttered as he looked at the gates of his agency, where no pullers remained. After tossing a small gratuity to the officers, he swaggered back into his estate.

Living in the Wang residence were Wang’s two wives, three children, two maids, and a butler. In the past, they had relied on Tang Zhiqing and his men for protection. But with that group now scattered—some in jail, some injured, and others having quit out of fear of the mob outside—the house had remained firmly locked during these tense times.

***

The next day, a press conference was held outside the Settlement police station. Tang Zhiqing and Ma Xiaoliu appeared in shackles before a crowd of reporters.

Because public opinion had long suspected the owner of the Wang Rickshaw Agency to be the true mastermind, officials and the police department had readily agreed to this press conference, intending for the prisoners to confess publicly so that the matter could finally be put to rest.

As the two killers emerged, reporters swarmed them with cameras, notebooks, and pens, turning the event into a chaotic spectacle.

A reporter shouted, "Mr. Tang, why did you kill those two pullers so brutally? Was someone behind this?"

Under the gaze of the expectant crowd, Tang suddenly spoke with agitation, "Yes! It was because the owner of the Wang Rickshaw Agency wanted to raise the rent. When the pullers started to protest, Boss Wang told us to give them a lesson. We didn't intend to kill anyone; it was an accident caused by the chaos. We weren't trying to murder them; we were just following the boss's orders to intimidate them."

Ma Xiaoliu added, "We aren't the masterminds. We were just following orders."

The scene erupted into pandemonium. No one had expected the two to flip their stories and name their employer. Chief Inspector Gao tried to intervene, but it was too late. Furthermore, with foreign officials present, it wasn't his place to take control. He knew it was best to stay silent.

A reporter pressed on, "So this incident was caused by a rent hike?"

Tang nodded. "That's right. The Wang Rickshaw Agency had twenty-four unlicensed rickshaws seized by the Traffic Bureau, so Boss Wang wanted to recover his losses from the pullers. The rent, which was originally ninety cents a day, was suddenly raised to one dollar and ten cents. The pullers couldn't afford it and began to resist."

The truth was out.

The foreign officials immediately realized something was wrong and hurriedly consulted their translators. Finally, one official stood up and announced, "We will not let the mastermind go. Please rest assured!"

It was over for Chief Inspector Gao. He realized that higher-level authorities had intervened, and he had no choice but to follow orders. As for the one or two thousand dollars in "consultation fees," he wouldn't see a dime—and he would likely face an investigation by his superiors. Given how the situation had unfolded, the police department would inevitably be held accountable for its negligence.

***

Two hours later, a stunned Wang Chengyun was dragged out of his home by officers, greeted by the cheers of dozens of rickshaw pullers—a scene captured by the press.

"Boss Wang, let's go. Your two subordinates have turned on you and identified you as the mastermind!"

Wang nearly collapsed. He couldn't fathom why Tang and Ma had betrayed him. He hadn't even had the chance to shortchange them yet!

Amid the jeers of the crowd, Wang was hauled back to the police station to await trial. He never imagined that while he had once tried to have Chen Guangliang locked away for a few days, he would now be the one sent to prison by Chen’s design.

Indeed, the rickshaw pullers had no real way to orchestrate such a move on their own. Everything had been directed by Chen Guangliang, with Zhou Xinggao personally blending in among the pullers to guide and oversee the operation.

Watching from the crowd, Zhou Xinggao thought to himself that his boss was truly ingenious; otherwise, these poor, struggling men would never have stood a chance. As he looked toward the Wang residence, his expression hardened. With Wang arrested and his thugs disbanded, the house was likely left with only women, children, and the elderly.

Having spent time working for his boss and hearing his legendary stories, Zhou couldn't help but yearn to make a name for himself in the Shanghai Bund.

He found Master Liu and said, "Master Liu, it's done. You must make sure to give the address of their son to Tang Zhiqing's wife. Don't do anything cruel."

Business was business. Master Liu nodded. "You're right, Xiao Zhou."

"Xiao Zhou," Master Liu added, "thanks to your guidance this time. Let's get a drink tonight."

"Sure, but I don't hold my liquor well."

"Ha! So you do have a weakness!"

To Master Liu and the others, Zhou Xinggao was a man of great capability. If not for his guidance, they never would have been able to avenge their fallen brothers.

"Let's go." The group of pullers dispersed. With the matter settled, they had to start looking for work. The Yangtze Rickshaw Agency had already taken seventy-two of them, though they mostly recruited the young, leaving the old and weak behind.