Death of a Red Heroine

either. In his own cubicle, he found a short note saying, “I’m working with the Internal Security people now. I’ll keep my mouth shut, as you have suggested, and my eyes open. Yu.”
    A detective could not be too cautious with Internal Security.
    Later, as Chief Inspector Chen was leaving, Sergeant Liao approached him in the corridor, “Congratulations! What a wonderful job.”
    “Thank you.”
    Liao added in a whisper, “We’ll make sure that Miss Wang’s application for a passport is properly processed.”
    “Miss Wang, oh—” Chen had hardly thought of her during the last few days. But other people had. Because of him. This same Liao, who had called him “a busybody who cannot take care of his own business,” was offering to take care of hers—assuming it was still his.
    Now that he was back in the Party’s favor, Wang would get her passport. Sergeant Liao was such a snob.
    “Thank you,” he said, shaking Sergeant Liao’s hand energetically.
    But Wang already seemed to be as far away as the woman referred to by Li Shangyin: Master Liu regrets that Mount Peng is too far away/And I, thousands of times farther away from the mountains.
    In the ancient Chinese legend. Master Liu, a young man of the Han dynasty, ventured onto Mount Peng, where he had a wonderful time with a beautiful woman. When he returned to his village, it had changed beyond his recognition. A hundred years had passed. He never found his way back into the mountains. So the couplet was frequently read as contrition over an irrecoverable loss.

Chapter 40
    I t was the fourth day of the National Police Cadre Conference.
    The Guoji Hotel, located at the intersection betwen Nanjing Road and Huanghe Road, overlooking the central area of the city, had been the highest building in Shanghai for many years.
    Chief Inspector Chen had been provided with a luxurious suite on the twenty-second floor. Looking out of the window to the east, in the first gray light of the morning, he could see the building of the First Department Store joining various stores on Nanjing Road in a colorful parade towards the Bund. But he was in no mood to enjoy the spectacular view. He hurried to put on his clothes. The last few days had been so hectic for him. Not only was he a representative of the Shanghai Police Bureau, he also had to serve as a conference host, coordinating all kinds of activities. Most of the representatives were superintendents or Party secretaries from other cities. He had to build his connections with them. For himself as well as for the bureau.
    As a result, he had hardly had any time to think about the progress of the case. Still, the first thing he did that morning, as he had for the past few days, was to sneak out of the hotel to a public phone booth across the street. He had asked Yu not to phone him in his room except for an emergency. With Internal Security working in the background, they had to be extremely cautious.
    At their agreed-upon time, he dialed Yu’s number. “How are things going?” he asked.
    “Positive. Tell you what, even Director Yao Liangxia, that Marxist Old Woman, called our office. She declared that the Party Discipline Committee stood behind us firmly.”
    “Was anything said by Party Secretary Li?”
    “Last night, a telephone conference was held between the Bureau Party Committee and the mayor. Only Party Secretary Li and Superintendent Zhao were present. Closed-door discussion, of course. Politics, I imagine.”
    “Li will not say a single word about those meetings, I understand. Is there any news from other sources?”
    “Well, Wang Feng has also contacted us, saying they are going to run a front-page story in the Wenhui Daily tomorrow.”
    “Why?”
    “Wu’s on trial today! Haven’t you heard, Chief Inspector Chen?”
    “What!” he said. “No, I haven’t.
    “That’s surprising,” Yu said. “I thought they would have informed you immediately.”
    “Will you appear in court?”
    “Yes, I will be there, but Internal Security will run the show.”
    “How are you getting along with the Internal Security people?”
    “Fine. I think they’re serious. They’re gathering all the documents.” Yu then added. “Except they haven’t really double-checked some evidence and witnesses.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Take Comrade Yang, the one at the gas station, for instance. I suggested that they call him in for identification, and then use him as a witness in court. But they said that it