Ever since Lu Hongjun regained consciousness, he’s been pondering exactly who wants to mess with him? After thinking it through, he believes it’s meaningless to target someone of his age, so he suspects he might have been implicated by Lu Jiaxin. He never expected the truth to be , but there’s still one question.
"Even if I admitted to giving you the collection of old items, it shouldn’t implicate him, right?"
Lu Jiaxin said, "Once you admitted it, they traced it back to me. Don’t forget, after the cultural relics law was enacted, you can trade antiques, but precious cultural relics cannot be taken out of the country."
The real reason is that Su Heyuan helped him smuggle these items out. Given Su Heyuan’s nature, he’s definitely done more than just a few illegal things. They’re trying to uproot Su Heyuan by following this lead. Of course, political struggles are never that simple. Lu Jiaxin didn’t want to delve further; politics is even more complex and dangerous than business.
Lu Hongjun understood and said, "Still, it’s because of you that I’m in trouble."
Hearing this, Lu Jiaxin chuckled twice, "Because of me? When you gave me these old items, were you really forced by Big Brother and Fifth Brother? Or were you hiding other intentions?"
Lu Hongjun uncomfortably said, "What intentions could I have?"
Lu Jiaxin bluntly said, "Big Brother and Fifth Brother clearly said they didn’t want these items, but you felt the secret might leak and worried there’s no such thing as an impenetrable wall, so you gave them to me as an easy way out."
"I’ve already settled in Hong Kong, so obviously these things would be transported there. If your material smuggling got exposed, I would think of ways to help you because of these items."
Lu Hongjun didn’t admit, claiming she was imagining things: "You’re my only child; my possessions are all meant for you."
These lies, Lu Jiaxin didn’t believe a word of it, but there’s no point in dwelling on it now. Since she inhabits this body, and the original owner couldn’t let go of this father, she had to take care of it.
Lu Jiaxin asked, "You’ve been detained for two days, nothing happened the first two days, why did you suddenly become critically ill on the third day?"
Lu Hongjun sighed and explained the matter of the Child-delivering Guanyin: "I really didn’t expect that fool Li Sangu would actually document these things, it stressed me out and I fainted."
It’s easy to say now, but back then, this revelation hit him like a thunderclap, making him feel doomed, and in that emotional overload, he coughed up blood and passed out.
Lu Jiaxin frowned deeply, and after a moment said, "Have you seen that notebook? Are you sure it was Li Sangu’s handwriting?"
Lu Hongjun shook his head and said, "No, but she described the Child-delivering Guanyin."
Lu Jiaxin thought it unlikely: "Maybe they heard from somewhere else that Li Sangu acquired such an item and guessed it was given to you, using a so-called notebook to bluff you."
"During that era, smuggling materials was a severe crime punishable by death, and if the matter surfaced, even his family would be dragged down. So, I don’t think he would leave such incriminating evidence. That so-called notebook is definitely fake."
You can’t blame Lu Hongjun, being held for two days and repeatedly interrogated kept his nerves on edge, and suddenly hearing the interrogators describe the contraband, it’s understandable he couldn’t withstand it. Luckily, he didn’t confess but fainted instead; had he confessed, forming a complete evidence chain, then it would have been hard to handle.
After thinking it through, Lu Hongjun also felt it plausible. He partnered with Li Sangu in smuggling materials, valuing his background and cautious nature. Once he figured it out, he smiled bitterly: "Who would’ve thought my life would nearly end, not on the battlefield but almost at the hands of a young girl."
Lu Jiaxin retorted, "Did you really fall because of Guo Qinqin? You were clearly blinded by lust and fell for Tang Sufen. If you had listened to Big Brother and Fifth Brother back then and hadn’t married that woman, choosing a stable life, would there be trouble today?"
Seeing Nie Zhan standing silently by, Lu Hongjun a bit sheepishly said, "What’s done is done, let’s not bring it up anymore."
Lu Jiaxin sneered, "Over? You and Tang Sufen even had a banquet, once you’re out of the hospital, she’ll definitely come knocking."
Lu Hongjun said, "I nearly died at the hands of her and her daughter this time; if they dare to show up, I’ll certainly chase them out."
Speaking of this, it reminded him of what Lu Jiaguang mentioned earlier: "Huang Jianshe with a broken leg, and Huang Jianye having his hand chopped, were these your doing?"
Lu Jiaxin didn’t deny: "One stole a man’s wife, another stole someone’s censer and indirectly caused the old lady’s death. It’s only rightful for the victims’ families to seek revenge on them, it has nothing to do with me."
Lu Hongjun understood, it wasn’t her doing directly but using others’ hands to retaliate. It’s not entirely accurate though; she borrowed someone else’s hand for revenge.
Achieving the goal without getting her hands dirty, very well done. Lu Hongjun thought she really has become sharpened: "If you had acted personally, traces would remain; your arrangement is excellent."
Lu Jiaxin suddenly asked, "When you gave me the old items, was someone involved in the smuggling caught?"
Lu Jiaxin chuckled twice and said, "Answered so quickly, when you say no, do you think I’ll believe you?"
Lu Hongjun knew he couldn’t hide it, so he had to tell the truth: "An old friend of mine, near retirement, was reported. During interrogation, he couldn’t withstand and confessed to issues during his tenure, subsequently, authorities searched his house and found a lot of gold and jewelry, and he was sentenced to twenty years."
"I thought, as long as these old items were not with me, even if old accounts were reopened one day, Li Sangu and the others were already gone, I could deny it, without evidence they wouldn’t be able to do anything."
If these old items were found with him, the smuggling charges would be indisputable.
Lu Jiaxin coldly snorted twice and said, "You acted so convincingly, making me believe back then that you truly listened to Big Brother and Fifth Brother’s advice, genuinely counting on me for support in old age, which is why you gave me the items!"
Initially, she thought he had compromised, but later sensed something off. Lu Hongjun had such a high pension; there was no need to hand over old treasures for another form of retirement security. Only, the items were real, she urgently needed money back then, and didn’t bother to overthink it.
Lu Hongjun explained, "You’ve settled in Hong Kong, now a Hong Kong citizen, even if they suspect these items ended up with you, they can’t detain you for questioning."
Lu Jiaxin thought his view was too naive: "That Guo Qinqin wants to arrest me. But now I hold some status and she can’t touch me; if I were just an ordinary citizen of Hong Kong, I would have surely been taken for questioning."
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Lu Hongjun’s face: "Jiaxin, your father is proud of you."
This remark successfully left Lu Hongjun speechless once again.