The man’s voice sounded incredibly strange.

Yue Yihan knew that, in the eyes of others, his decision to have his children take Xie Changning’s surname made him stand out. It was unconventional, to say the least.

It was only natural that they were curious.

He didn’t try to hide it. "That’s right. My children all take my wife’s last name. She’s the one who goes through the hardship of childbirth, so it’s only right that the children take her name."

"Did your wife demand it?" the men asked, frowning.

"I was the one who wanted it."

At his words, everyone immediately stared at Yue Yihan as if he were an idiot.

In their eyes, they were men who lived with their lives on the line, who could perish on the battlefield at any moment. Who wouldn’t want to leave behind an heir to carry on their name?

But they weren’t the type to gossip. Since Yue Yihan himself was willing, they dropped the subject.

He Liuzhang already knew about this. As far as he was concerned, they had children, and that was what mattered. Who cared what last name they had?

"Yihan, I heard your wife is the director of the Anong County Machinery Factory and that she’s expanding and hiring new workers. You see, I have this relative..." one of the men said, his eyes darting as he changed the subject, hoping to score a job for his family member.

Yue Yihan waved his hand dismissively.

"My wife never lets me interfere in her work. I have no say in the matter." Yue Yihan wasn’t a fool. If this relative was from near Anong County and was actually skilled, they wouldn’t need help finding a job.

He couldn’t risk upsetting his wife over something like this.

’What if I fall out of favor with her?’

"No way. Is our Commander Yue afraid of his wife too?"

Yue Yihan raised an eyebrow, gave the man a once-over, and sneered. "What? Are you the master of your own house? Can you make decisions for your wife?"

’Everyone in the military family compound knows his wife is the fiercest of them all. Doesn’t she chase him all over the courtyard with a feather duster?’

’And he has the nerve to laugh at me?’

’Hmph!’

Understanding Yue Yihan’s implication, the man’s face turned pale, but he didn’t dare to retort that he was, in fact, the boss of his wife.

"Alright, that’s enough. It’s the pot calling the kettle black. All of you, shoo, shoo!" He Liuzhang spoke up, dispersing the crowd of onlookers.

After everyone had left, He Liuzhang sighed and asked Yue Yihan, "Why are you back? Didn’t you go home?"

"I ran into Yu Huo, didn’t I?" After taking her to the police station, Yue Yihan had gone home to tell Xie Changning what happened. He hadn’t stayed long before returning to Chuncheng.

He Liuzhang sighed.

"Who would have thought... that girl... *Sigh*."

As they were speaking, Guard Yu came out of the interrogation room. He pushed open the door and addressed He Liuzhang, "Commander, the interrogation is complete. This is her statement."

The military’s chain of evidence was too thorough. Yu Huo had no way to deny it.

"Take her to a military tribunal!" After reading the statement, He Liuzhang nearly had an aneurysm. He slammed his hand on the table and roared in fury.

Yue Yihan took the statement and read it, his brow immediately furrowing.

’Just as I thought. Vice Factory Director Lin from the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory is involved in this too!’

The earlier investigation into Xie Changning in Shanghai had been weighing on Yue Yihan’s mind. He’d pester He Liuzhang about it whenever he got the chance, asking if there were any new leads.

He never expected to find a lead through Yu Huo.

"So... do we arrest him now?" Yue Yihan frowned. He had a feeling the big fish behind Vice Factory Director Lin was tangled in a much more complex net than the one behind Yu Huo.

Making a move on him would likely alert a lot of other traitors.

But Yue Yihan couldn’t stand the thought of letting him continue to stir up trouble.

"Leave him for now. His network is quite useful, and I get a lot of my intelligence through him." He Liuzhang chuckled, not the least bit worried about Vice Factory Director Lin.

The man was already under their surveillance.

It was better to keep using him as a source than to start a new investigation into the traitors from scratch.

"Right."

By the time Yu Huo was brought out, Yue Yihan had already organized the statement.

When she saw He Liuzhang and Yue Yihan, Yu Huo’s eyes lit up. She looked at He Liuzhang in delight. "Godfather, it’s me! You have to save me! I was forced into this!"

He Liuzhang covered his face in shame.

He chanted silently to himself: ’I can’t hear anything. I can’t hear anything. If I can’t hear it, then it’s not embarrassing.’

When He Liuzhang ignored her, Yu Huo turned to confront Yue Yihan.

"Yue Yihan! I’ve treated you well! Is this how you repay me!?"

"Are you nuts?" Yue Yihan scowled. "What have you ever done for me? I joined the army when I was sixteen. I saw you maybe twice a year. Don’t you dare try to act close to me. It’s disgusting."

Yue Yihan still remembered how Yu Huo had tried to slander his relationship with Xie Changning right in front of her.

That’s why he was so blunt with Yu Huo.

He didn’t care that she was a woman. She was willing to betray her country; he certainly wasn’t going to show her any respect.

"You!"

"You what? Get her out of here. Her screaming is an embarrassment to the entire military region."

The two soldiers restraining her immediately dragged her away.

Yu Huo cursed nonstop, "Yue Yihan! You’ll die a miserable death!"

"I don’t know whether I’ll die a miserable death or not, but I know you’re about to."

He Liuzhang was speechless. ’When did this kid get so sharp-tongued?’

After dealing with Yu Huo, Yue Yihan pulled He Liuzhang back into his office. His eyes were burning with intensity as he stared at him. "Old He, you said... all your intelligence came from Vice Factory Director Lin. Does that mean your intelligence includes information on my wife?"

He Liuzhang stared at Yue Yihan, speechless.

"I already told you what I know about your wife."

"Her parents!"

"...Didn’t I tell you I couldn’t find anything?"

"I know you. You’re definitely hiding something from me!"

Their bond was closer than that of a father and son; they knew each other inside and out.

Her parents’ files were top secret and couldn’t be accessed, but Yue Yihan knew Old He would have definitely investigated other members of the Xie Family, especially with Xie Changyu right nearby!

"Alright, alright! I’ll tell you, okay?"

Pestered relentlessly by Yue Yihan, He Liuzhang had no choice but to give in with a helpless nod.

Yue Yihan grabbed a chair, pulled it right up in front of He Liuzhang, and stared at him expectantly. "Go on."

"You should already know about your wife’s background. Her entire family was sent down to the Northeast. They’re right nearby."

Yue Yihan’s brow furrowed slightly when he heard they were in the Northeast.

He knew a little about his wife’s past—that her family didn’t care for her, and that everything she had now, she had earned for herself.

He also knew how difficult those people could be. If they found out how successful his wife had become, they would surely try to leech off of her.

"I know all that." ’Why is Old He telling me things I’m already aware of?’

"Then did you know that Xie Changning has a cousin who is an official here in Chuncheng?" He Liuzhang asked, shooting him a sidelong glance.

"You’re talking about...?"