Middle Kingdom Chronicles: A Narrative TL

Reference and Commentary Thread Here.

Anyway... This is the narrative portion of Middle Kingdom Chronicles.

Chapter 1, Part 1:

East Beijing, April 2012.

Two men in crisp green military fatigues stood in the middle of a tastefully decorated bedroom belonging to a teenage girl whose nude body was discovered slumped next to her closet door, dangling from a bath towel tied around the doorknob. Pink plastic bags were wrapped around their boots to keep dirt from getting in the floorboards.

“Yeah, it’s that time of year again...”

1st Lieutenant Guo Yinxing of the Republic of China National Police lit a cigarette, then passed his lighter to his partner, Command Warrant Officer Li Zhaomin.

“Sir, it’s April and it seems like your run of the mill acceptance suicide”, remarked Li, “why aren’t the Metro Cops taking care of this?”

“I don’t know. I got the call straight from Colonel Meng’s office. He told me to get my ass down here as soon as possible. Didn’t tell me much else for some reason. It sounded like he was in a panic.”

“Zhaomin, where’s the homicide detective from Metro?”

“Outside, talking with the parents.”

“Go get him and bring him up here. I want to talk to him.”

“Yes sir.” Li left the room.

Guo looked around the room. It was a big room in a huge apartment. Outside of the enclosed balcony’s windows were the steel and glass towers of Hujialou Technical District, their fluorescent lights slowly beginning to bathe the city in their sterile glow as the sun set.

At first glance, nothing inside the room except for the dead body seemed to be out of place or unusual. Bed, desk, wardrobes, closet, clothes strewn about. Few stuffed animals on the bed. Laptop computer. Cell phone still plugged into the charger.

Nothing too out of place except for a bottle of prescription muscle relaxants on her nightstand.

Li came back a few minutes later, leading a detective in a cheap, ill fitting suit.

“Du Hao, Inspector, Violent Crimes, Beijing Metropolitan Bureau of Public Security.”

“1st Lieutenant Guo Yinxing, Criminal Investigative Division, China National Police. This is my partner, Warrant Officer Li Zhaomin.” Guo handed Du his pack of cigarettes.


“Well shit”, said Du as he lit a cigarette, “Nationals normally deal with political cases, don’t you?”

“Normally. I don’t know how in fuck we ended up getting called down here. Care to tell us something we missed?”

Du looked over at the girl. “Victim’s name is Zhang Qiuli, age 17. Daughter of Zhang Weimin and Bo Lanyue. Preliminary cause of death is suicide by hanging. On her desk, you will find acceptance letters to Beijing, Qinghua, University of Hong Kong, MIT and Harvard. Her older brother’s at Stanford.”

Li looked around the room. “No obvious signs of a struggle.”

“Wait...wait... did you say Zhang Weimin?” asked Guo, his eyes narrowing.

“Yeah. I did. Why?” asked Du.

“Alright look, we’re going to have to take over this case.” Guo’s posture suddenly changed as began motioning Du out of the room.

“Inspector, get rid of any marked patrol cars outside. Clear out any media, then tell your district commander this was a natural death, open and shut. Not murder, not suicide, understood? If you say anything else, I will have you arrested for violating the National Secrecy Act. Mr. Li, call a plainclothes response team down here immediately, Priority 1. I will also need you to lock down and secure the crime scene. Please do so discreetly and make sure the neighbors stay in their apartments and keep their fucking mouths shut. Lastly, contact the Beijing Media Liason at HQ and tell them we’re dealing with something sensitive. I’ll contact Captain Jie and Colonel Meng and make sure they get down here as fast as possible.”

“May I please ask what the fuck is going on?” stammered a confused Du.

“This is a political case, Inspector Du. We work political cases.”
 
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Two men in crisp green military fatigues stood in the middle of a tastefully decorated bedroom belonging to a teenage girl whose nude body was hanging from a bath towel tied around her closet doorknob. Pink plastic bags were wrapped around their boots to keep dirt from getting in the floorboards.
uh...is a doorknob ever more than a meter or so off the ground?

Also, she got into Harvard and still killed herself? Wow. :eek:


Makes you wonder what kind of pressures this society has. Perhaps the girl was from a well-to-do family, and her suicide would be an embarrassment to someone...
 
Note on Hangings: Most hangings are short drop hangings where the victim kneels or sits. Death occurs by strangulation. I should make the passage a bit more clear for readers so as to avoid confusion.
 
Chapter 1, Part 2:

“So, Lieutenant, what do you think?” Colonel Meng Zhude slipped pink plastic covers over his boots before stepping into the empty apartment.

“Well Sir, something’s suspicious. People kill themselves because they get rejected from Beijing University, not because they get in. However, there seems to be no sign of a struggle. Victim’s clothes and glasses were found neatly folded in the bathroom. Muscle relaxants are easy enough to obtain, probably got it from a doctor or some kid at school. Still, something seems a bit off. I’m not willing to class this a suicide just yet.”

The Colonel, a small, thin man with greying hair glanced at the Lieutenant, then sat down the sofa in the living room, putting his feet up on the lattice paneled coffee table as he lit a cigar. He offered one cigar to the Lieutenant, “Want it? It’s Cuban.”

“Thanks, Sir.”

The Colonel began helping himself to some of the expensive cognac from a nearby liquor cabinet, pouring himself a glass. “I’d offer you some of this too, but you’re on duty.”

“Why did you call me over? Why not have the section Major go through the assignment rotation as usual?”

“You’re one of the best we’ve got. That and well...” The Colonel took a sip of his drink.

“Well, what?”

“Lieutenant Guo, you vote Red, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m from Xi’an. Of course I vote Red, every time. I’m not sure what this has to do with--”

“Zhang Weimin is a major donor and a big player the Sky Blue Party. Major player in hedge funds too, which means that he’s also got a couple million enemies. Sky Blue’s going to want to cover this up, if only to save themselves embarrassment and trouble with the media. Olympics are this summer and Elections are coming up this November. A lot of people out to find some way to hurt the man and the party. A lot of the more politically sensitive agents are going to want to wrap this thing up quickly.”

“So what do you want me to do?” asked Guo.

“Unless you can prove otherwise, I want you to treat this as a murder. Media discretion is not required. In fact, I encourage you to talk to the media as frequently as possible, if you feel that is required. I need someone that doesn’t care about the sensibilities of the ruling party.”

Guo sighed and got up, pouring himself a glass of cognac. “Sir, I can already imagine how this is going to end up. You’ll get stars on your shoulders and I’m going to be found in the hills outside of Zhangjiakou with a couple of bullets in the back of my head, victim of a “hunting accident”, that’s what you command types call it, right? Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, I have to protect myself.”

“My name on all the investigation files. A slush fund to be used at your discretion and any men you need detailed to you. Also, there are some politicians who can help cover for you in case Sky Blue gives you any trouble. This is a golden opportunity to bring in a lot of dirty motherfuckers over the body of this girl. And if you get enough shit on the right people, Command will pretty much have to make you a Major.”

“Or a couple of thugs hired by some politician kidnaps me from my home one night and I disappear. Or I get arrested on some trumped-up charges and spend the rest of my life in prison. Or I take the fall for something you’ve done wrong. No, no, no. I’m going to work this, because you’re ordering me to. But I work it by the book. Full media discretion, no politics, no mind games and no bullshit. Or you can find another investigator.” Guo drained his shot glass in a single gulp and slammed it down on the coffee table. “At the same time, I won’t hold back from arresting some high ranking donor just because he’s jerked off some congressman in a truck stop restroom out in the backcountry.”

Colonel Meng grinned widely. “See, that’s what I wanted to hear. I want to see your first report on your Section Major’s desk first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I’ll fill you in on what I know about Zhang Weimin. He’s an interesting fellow. Take a seat and pour yourself another couple glasses.”
 
Huh. A Republican Chinese TL. Does this government branch off of the 1911 KMT, or some later/earlier iteration? Also, "Reds"? As in, the colour of a party, or the nickname for communists? There's also nothing that says that the shift to democracy didn't happen after 1949, either.
 
Ah, so now we have some bigwigs involved. I'm guessing China ITTL has similar problems relating to corruption?
 
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