"Brother Zheng, is there any news about the Great President?" a colleague asked in a low voice.

"The Great President has heaven's blessing, surely he is fine," Zheng Wenjie said ambiguously. Although there was a look of anxiety on his face, Zheng Wenjie felt great contempt for the colleague in front of him. This person had always only cared about making money and never cared about Yuan Shikai's life or death. Acting so anxious now was truly ridiculous.

"Heaven's blessing, yes, yes. The Great President indeed has heaven's blessing!" Zheng Wenjie's colleague nodded repeatedly.

Watching his colleague leave, Zheng Wenjie's gaze couldn't help but fall on the People's Party intelligence agent in the Ministry of Army's Intelligence Department. The agent looked as usual, silent and burying his head in work. If it were ordinary times, this would be nothing, but amidst the panic in the Ministry of Army now, this gentleman appeared quite unique. Looking at the People's Party man, and then looking at the Beiyang bunch, Zheng Wenjie couldn't help but feel dejected.

Withdrawing his thoughts, Zheng Wenjie began to organize documents. Even though Beiyang was currently turtle-shelled inside Beijing city, the paperwork and intelligence seemed to be even more than before. The various armies defending the city were unwilling to come to the Ministry of Army to be scolded, so communication relied on documents. Only at this time did they know to ask for instructions on everything; Zheng Wenjie felt exceptionally dejected.

"Liu Yong, come here for a moment!" Wang Shizhen's personal guard shouted at the door of the Intelligence Department. The People's Party intelligence agent had the common name "Liu Yong". Zheng Wenjie didn't know if this was a real name or a fake one. However, because Liu Yong had been steady in his work these days, he was quite favored by Wang Shizhen. Even knowing this little inside information, every time Wang Shizhen summoned Liu Yong to do something, Zheng Wenjie felt somewhat uncomfortable in his heart.

Liu Yong stood up and followed Wang Shizhen's personal guard into Wang Shizhen's office. From receiving the news of the Beiyang Army's crushing defeat in Shandong to now, it had only been ten days, but Wang Shizhen's originally graying hair had turned almost completely white. The wrinkles on his face looked as if they had been carved by a knife, and his originally extremely aged appearance looked ten years older.

"Liu Yong, take this hand order to the Second Army Commander Lu Jin," Wang Shizhen ordered.

Liu Yong took the document but did not leave. He asked calmly, "Duke Wang, are you not going to visit the Great President today? I heard the Great President has been in a coma for two days."

"Sigh..." Wang Shizhen sighed slightly, but this depression only lasted for a moment. Wang Shizhen immediately stared at Liu Yong alertly and asked sternly, "Who told you this?"

"I am an intelligence agent for the People's Party. This news was not obtained from Beiyang sources," Liu Yong answered straightforwardly.

At this moment, only Wang Shizhen and his personal guard were in the room. Hearing Liu Yong admit his background, the personal guard immediately drew the pistol from his waist. But Liu Yong was unmoved. He smiled and said, "Can we wait for me to finish speaking before this brother takes action?"

The personal guard was stunned. He hadn't expected Liu Yong to be so bold. Wang Shizhen, however, was not as agitated as his guard. He looked Liu Yong up and down and sneered, "Liu Yong, you really have guts."

"Let's close the door to talk," Liu Yong suggested.

Wang Shizhen's chest rose and fell slightly. If the situation hadn't reached this point, and if Liu Yong hadn't clearly stated Yuan Shikai's physical condition, Wang Shizhen would not have wanted to say a word to Liu Yong at all. But right now, what Wang Shizhen needed most was intelligence, especially intelligence on the People's Party. For Liu Yong to admit his identity, presumably the People's Party did have something to say to Wang Shizhen.

"Yu Zhu, go guard the door," Wang Shizhen ordered.

The personal guard was naturally unwilling to do so, but after Wang Shizhen ordered again, Wang Yuzhu obeyed.

Liu Yong stood steadily in front of Wang Shizhen and said, "Duke Wang, this time I am ordered to lobby you on a matter. You know, the establishment of the National Library, the National Museum, and the National Archives were all initially proposed by our People's Party Chairman Chen. What we Chinese worship is not gods, not the afterlife, but our history. The Grand Historian wrote the Records of the Grand Historian, leaving a name in history. In Wen Tianxiang's 'Song of Righteousness', it mentions 'In Qi, the Grand Historian's bamboo slips'. Qi perished over a thousand years ago. We can no longer verify the surname of that Qi Grand Historian. But not only do we know their deeds thousands of years later, but in another thousand years, another ten thousand years, as long as China still exists, their reputation and words, the history they wrote and recorded will continue to be passed down."

Wang Shizhen listened quietly. Although he was greatly surprised by these words, he had already guessed somewhat what news Liu Yong brought.

"Duke Wang, the destruction of Beiyang is close at hand. Even if we, the People's Party, win, we cannot exist for thousands of generations. This does not conform to historical laws. However, China's cultural relics and classics have the potential to be passed down for thousands and ten thousands of years. Therefore, our Chairman Chen asked me to petition you. We don't care about the gold, silver, and treasures in Beijing city. If the day comes when the city is broken, we beg Duke Wang to protect the National Library, the National Museum, the National Archives, and the Imperial Palace. We are going to transform this Imperial Palace into the Palace Museum in the future. This is China's cultural wealth. We dare not ask Duke Wang to surrender to our People's Party. But as long as Duke Wang can protect China's cultural relics and classics, Chairman Chen guarantees not to treat Duke Wang as a war criminal. Furthermore, in the future, when stone tablets are erected at the entrances of the National Library, National Museum, National Archives, and Palace Museum to introduce their history, Duke Wang's contributions will definitely be engraved on them. As long as China does not perish, Duke Wang's contributions will definitely be passed down for thousands of years."

Although he had never thought about leaving a name in history, especially in the current situation where leaving a name as a defeated general was a joke, Wang Shizhen was still shocked internally after hearing the news Liu Yong brought. As an intelligence agent, Liu Yong's role in the Ministry of Army was significant right now. The People's Party wouldn't willingly discard such an important agent. Now that they had done so, and not to persuade surrender or conduct an assassination, but for the sake of cultural relics and classics, Wang Shizhen couldn't help but feel the People's Party's sincerity.

However, once he agreed to the People's Party's conditions, Wang Shizhen would inevitably become a traitor to Beiyang. For Yuan Shikai, Wang Shizhen had gone against his heart to become a traitor to the Manchu Qing once. Once a person stepped on the path of a traitor, did they have to continue walking down it? Was this a kind of retribution? Wang Shizhen thought painfully.

Liu Yong did not push, but just waited quietly. Even though Wang Shizhen usually looked composed, the look of pain and anxiety finally appeared uncontrollably on his face. After a while, Wang Shizhen asked, "What if I don't agree?"

"If Duke Wang doesn't agree, or agrees but doesn't do it, let's not talk about the fate of the cultural relics and classics, I will definitely not survive. Chairman Chen did guarantee to me that if that happens, the outcome for the Wang family members in Niujiazhuang, Zhending, Zhili will not be too good. And among the common people at the East Gate of the city, there will also be some disturbances. More importantly, those robbing things will definitely be Beiyang soldiers. Duke Wang knows that our People's Party treats prisoners of war well. However, for those who harm the common people, our People's Party will absolutely not let them off. At that time, I'm afraid these hundred thousand Beiyang brothers won't survive. So Duke Wang, even for the sake of these Beiyang brothers, please put the country first."

Liu Yong spoke simply and directly, but Wang Shizhen's face couldn't help twitching a few times. Niujiazhuang in Zhending was Wang Shizhen's ancestral home, and outside the East Gate was once the residence of Wang Shizhen and his aunt. Chen Ke was implicitly threatening Wang Shizhen with "implicating his family". As for shooting the looting Beiyang troops, Wang Shizhen naturally knew under what name the People's Party massacred the old upper class everywhere. This tyrannical and shameless image surprisingly matched Chen Ke very well in Wang Shizhen's heart.

Wang Shizhen himself was a talent. He had long known that for those who did things, no matter what they did, whether they succeeded or failed, others' evaluations would be malicious criticism. Unlike other Beiyang generals, Wang Shizhen did not care about so-called vanity. Wang Shizhen felt that Chen Ke was also such a person. If he couldn't kill one to warn a hundred, Chen Ke's plan to protect the cultural relics and classics probably couldn't be implemented at all.

Four days ago, when Yuan Shikai learned the news of the cavalry brigade's destruction outside Beijing, he fainted from anger. He had just woken up when he learned that the Second Army was almost completely wiped out. This time, Yuan Shikai dragged his sick body and worked sleeplessly for a day. At around 4 a.m., Yuan Shikai fainted again and hadn't woken up since. Everyone up and down now linked Yuan Shikai's illness with Cixi's death back then. The generals were all trembling with fear; how could they have the mind to fight the People's Party?

Originally, with Yuan Shikai critically ill, even a bad plan would be to quickly select a successor. The problem was that no one was willing to come out now. If Yuan Shikai recovered, the temporary successor would definitely not have a good end. If Yuan Shikai died just like this, the one who took over would also not have a good end.

Beiyang was said to be a civilian government, but those who could really command were the major warlords. Xu Shichang, as the Premier of the Cabinet, was second only to Yuan Shikai in status. In fact, he had no possibility of taking power. Among the Beiyang generals, Wang Shizhen was regarded as the leader. Wang Shizhen originally didn't want the position; he continued to be an official merely out of loyalty to Yuan Shikai. He was truly annoyed by this. Especially Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui, who ignored political and military affairs all day and ran to various legations to beg foreign troops stationed in Beijing to send troops. This behavior made Wang Shizhen feel disgust and anger from the bottom of his heart.

What Liu Yong said had nothing to do with status, but Wang Shizhen saw another choice. If Yuan Shikai was gone, and Wang Shizhen could make peace with the People's Party, or at least surrender with dignity, Beijing could be saved, and the lives of the Beiyang brothers could also be saved. Wang Shizhen felt that this would be fulfilling his obligations to Yuan Shikai and his Beiyang comrades.

Thinking of this, Wang Shizhen said coldly to Liu Yong, "Go sit outside for now."

Zheng Wenjie naturally didn't know what had happened. He couldn't ask Liu Yong, nor did he want to. All questions could only be buried in his heart. It was wartime now, but the officers only took turns on duty, or rather, those who should slip away still slipped away home. If the People's Party hadn't completely blockaded Beijing, it was unknown if a significant number of officers would have slipped out of Beijing with their families.

In the afternoon, Zheng Wenjie prepared to go home for dinner. He saw Qian Dingchu, with whom he usually had a good relationship, come over and whisper, "Old Zheng, let's go drink tonight."

"Drink?" Zheng Wenjie almost cursed out loud. Was there still a mood to drink at a time like this? But on second thought, being able to drink right now wasn't bad. Zheng Wenjie asked in a low voice, "Where to drink?"

"Just follow me," Qian Dingchu answered in a low voice.

There were others going too, specifically Qian Dingchu's brother-in-law, Li Wendao. The three didn't change clothes; they just got into a car and went straight towards the Eight Great Hutongs. Naturally, drinking and visiting prostitutes were forbidden after martial law. The Eight Great Hutongs looked extremely desolate from the outside. They got off the car in a secluded place and entered a small door. After walking through twists and turns for a while, a scene of singing and dancing suddenly appeared before Zheng Wenjie's eyes. The main gates of the houses in the Eight Great Hutongs were naturally closed, and the windows were shut. But inside, they were receiving guests and operating normally. Moreover, many of those gorging themselves and playing with women inside were wearing military uniforms.

At present, Beijing's food supply was quite tight, and even many official departments didn't have good food. On the contrary, inside these Eight Great Hutongs, the aroma of wine overflowed, and meat filled the tables. Zheng Wenjie couldn't help but sigh. The people in military uniforms were gorging themselves and taking liberties with the brothel women; Zheng Wenjie and the others didn't stand out at all in there. Qian Dingchu took the other two into a private room. After closing the door, he opened the window a little for ventilation. The wine and food were already set out, but the host hadn't arrived.

After waiting for a moment, a person came in from outside, wearing an ordinary Western suit, looking surprisingly like an official. The man was over fifty, with graying hair and a demeanor that wasn't frivolous. He didn't look like someone who would come here to lead a befuddled life. Qian Dingchu hurriedly stood up to introduce him to Zheng Wenjie, "This is Lord He Ruming from the Ministry of Civil Affairs."

Zheng Wenjie was startled. He Ruming was Chen Ke's father-in-law. Although Yuan Shikai had never indicated he would do anything to He Ruming, for He Ruming to dare to be so active at this time, it definitely wasn't for something small.

He Ruming greeted and chatted with everyone politely. They didn't call for women to come in. After drinking a few cups, He Ruming said, "Gentlemen, I am preparing to do something, but it is inconvenient to travel after martial law. I would like to ask you gentlemen to do me a favor and provide some travel passes. I hope you brothers can be lenient."

Qian Dingchu had just stuffed a meatball into his mouth. Hearing He Ruming say this, he chewed and said, "Lord He, it's not that brothers won't help. If it were normal times, what travel pass couldn't we issue? It's just that the situation is like this now, this matter is indeed difficult."

He Ruming smiled and said, "Brother Qian says it's difficult, then it seems I found the right person. If you said it wasn't difficult, then you would surely be tricking me. If joints need to be greased, Brother Qian just say it. I, He Ruming, will definitely not make it difficult for Brother Qian."

Seeing He Ruming being so sensible, Qian Dingchu chewed the meatball and laughed with an ugly expression. Zheng Wenjie knew that Qian Dingchu dragging him along wasn't necessarily out of malice. Since they could eat and drink like this, bringing one of their own to mooch a meal was just mooching a meal. Not to mention there would definitely be more happiness later.

Zheng Wenjie was just wondering, what exactly was He Ruming planning to do at this time? Would he do something detrimental to Beiyang?

However, Qian Dingchu didn't seem to care about this at all. The meatball in his mouth hadn't been swallowed yet, and he used his left hand to lift the wine cup to wash the food down his throat, then picked up a piece of strip meat and started chewing. The whole person was completely immersed in enjoyment.