"What does this girl want from me?"
It turned out that the caller was none other than Officer Miao. Zhuang Rui hadn't contacted Miss Miao for almost two months since their engagement, and he couldn't understand why she wanted to see him.
"Don't hang up! Is there anything you can't say in front of me?"
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to hang up the phone and continue his baby-making endeavor, Qin Xuanbing, who was in his arms, also saw the name on the phone screen. Her voice carried a hint of jealousy.
Even the most generous woman, if she doesn't get nervous when she sees a young woman calling her husband, it means she doesn't love that man at all. Qin Xuanbing's reaction is quite normal.
"Grandma, she and I are completely innocent, Heaven can bear witness..."
Zhuang Rui cried out in protest, but seeing that Qin Xuanbing had already started getting dressed, he couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "What good could the police possibly want from me? Fine, I'll answer them, okay?"
"Hehe, I was just kidding. Why don't you go outside to answer the phone?"
Qin Xuanbing suddenly changed her expression and said with a smile.
"No, I'll just take it right here. We've done nothing wrong, what's there to be afraid of..."
Zhuang Rui thought to himself, "If I go out to answer the phone, I'm guaranteed not to be able to get into bed tonight. I'm not falling for your tricks..."
"Officer Miao, hello! What brings you here today? You're such a busy chief..."
Zhuang Rui pressed the answer button. Of course, he wouldn't call the other person by their name. If he called out "Feifei," his wife would definitely go back to her parents' home tomorrow.
"Zhuang Rui, if I don't call you, you won't contact me anymore, right?"
Miao Feifei's clear voice came through the receiver, while Miss Qin, who was standing next to him, did not stop Zhuang Rui from making the call, but she stood still and her ears were perked up.
"Oh, Director Miao, you're so busy every day, how could I dare to bother you? It's so late, is there anything I can help you with?"
Zhuang Rui inwardly groaned. Miao Feifei usually didn't speak with such a resentful tone, as if he owed her something. This was just too much.
Moreover, the amplification function of this phone's microphone is damn good. Not to mention Qin Xuanbing standing right next to him, even the white lion loitering outside the door could probably hear it.
How do you know I'm busy every day?
Miao Feifei replied to Zhuang Rui, then said, "I need to see you now. I'm outside your house, so hurry up and come out..."
"Hey... hey, Officer Miao, I'm not home right now. I'm at Brother Bai's villa in Daxing..."
Zhuang Rui could clearly see that Qin Xuanbing's face was getting uglier and uglier as the voice came through the microphone. He didn't know if Miao Feifei was doing it on purpose, but her words always had a hint of ambiguity.
"Being at home is being at home. What's there to hide?"
Qin Xuanbing, standing beside him, gave a cold snort. Although her voice wasn't loud, it reached Zhuang Rui's ears. She seemed unwilling to listen to Zhuang Rui and Miao Feifei flirting anymore. After getting dressed, Qin Xuanbing left.
"Zhuang Rui, I know you're home. What's wrong? Are you afraid to see me?"
It was unclear whether Miao Feifei had heard Qin Xuanbing's words, but her tone made Zhuang Rui want to bang his head against the wall.
"Officer Miao, please get to the point. I'm busy right now, I'll hang up if there's nothing else..."
Zhuang Rui thought that rather than being bullied by both sides, he should focus on comforting his wife. While talking on the phone, Zhuang Rui chased after Qin Xuanbing. If his mother saw Qin Xuanbing being bullied, he would never have a peaceful life again.
"Don't hang up, Zhuang Rui. I need to talk to you, it's work-related..."
Perhaps hearing the sound of Qin Xuanbing's leather shoes leaving, Miao Feifei's tone on the phone suddenly became normal. This change left Zhuang Rui bewildered and extremely angry. If you had spoken like that just now, none of this would have happened.
"Officer Miao, you are a civil servant and a public servant, while I am just an ordinary citizen. What work do I need to discuss with you?"
After Zhuang Rui chased her out of the room, he grabbed Qin Xuanbing, covered the phone's microphone with his hand, and said to her, "Work, work, Officer Miao called me about work..."
"You're not a civil servant from mainland China, what work do you have to discuss with her?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui come out to chase after her meant that she was still very important to him, which pleased Qin Xuanbing. However, she still showed her dissatisfaction on her face and returned to Zhuang Rui what he had just said on the phone.
It's not Qin Xuanbing's fault for being petty. Zhuang Rui was just asking for trouble by being all lovey-dovey with another woman in front of his wife.
However, Zhuang Rui was also wronged. He had said he wouldn't answer the phone, but Qin Xuanbing insisted that he do so. He couldn't just hang up without saying anything after answering, since the other person was his friend.
"How would I know what's going on? Anyway, I won't go out for a while, okay?"
Zhuang Rui looked even more aggrieved than a wronged wife, which made Qin Xuanbing burst out laughing. She said, "Alright, answer the phone and see what's wrong. Could something have gone wrong with those artworks we exchanged abroad?"
"Zhuang Rui, I am here on behalf of the police to announce to you that there is a case involving the theft of national cultural relics, and we hope you can cooperate..."
Miao Feifei's voice came through the microphone clearly.
“Officer Miao, citizens have an obligation to cooperate with the police in handling cases, but they also have the right to refuse. I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I can't punch or kick anyone, so how can I cooperate with you…”
Upon hearing that it was about these kinds of things again, Zhuang Rui immediately refused. Having spent a lot of time with Attorney Huangfu lately, Zhuang Rui spoke with a solid basis.
Last time, Zhuang Rui cooperated with Miao Feifei to investigate the case of the theft of an ancient tomb in Hubei. They went to the black market, but later Jin Pangzi found out Miao Feifei's identity. If Zhuang Rui hadn't had a good relationship with him, it probably would have been exposed long ago.
The antique trade has its own rules. Due to national restrictions, many antiques traded privately are high-quality items, so the police are very wary of them. If Zhuang Rui's matter gets out, the black market for antiques in Beijing and surrounding areas will definitely blacklist him.
Once his museum opens, Zhuang Rui will inevitably have to deal with all sorts of people in Beijing's antique world, and he doesn't want to be labeled as a "lackey."
"Zhuang Rui, please be serious. I am speaking to you on behalf of the organization..."
"Hey, Officer Miao, please don't make a big deal out of this. I'm used to being disorganized and undisciplined. You should find some professionals; I'm afraid of trouble!"
In the end, Zhuang Rui really hates trouble, especially when it involves Miao Feifei. Nothing has happened yet, and his fiancée almost ran away from home. If something were to happen, his mother might not even recognize him as her son.
"Trouble? You brought this trouble upon yourself, Zhuang Rui. This case is the same one you encountered in Shaanxi, and the person involved has already contacted you, which is why we've contacted you. We hope you can cooperate..."
The voice coming from the microphone startled Zhuang Rui. His experience in Shaanxi was something he would never forget. The white lion saving his master from the brink of death left a shadow in Zhuang Rui's heart.
Zhuang Rui straightened his expression and asked, "Are you talking about the person who came to sell bronzes today, and whether he's connected to the case in Shaanxi?"
Boss Yu confessed that half the reason was due to Zhuang Rui and Bai Shi. If there were still people involved in the case who had not been brought to justice, they might come to retaliate against him. Zhuang Rui really dared not be careless.
Chapter 676 Professional Talents
If that short man surnamed Ren is indeed an accomplice of Boss Yu, then the origin of the bronze tripod he mentioned is very clear.
While in Shaanxi, the investigators told Zhuang Rui about some details of the case. Yu Laoda and his gang had been active in Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi and other places, and countless cultural relics had been lost through their hands.
Furthermore, this tomb-robbing gang existed for a very long time. According to statistics from relevant departments, they looted hundreds of ancient tombs over a period of nearly fifteen years, making them even more ruthless than the official tomb robbers of ancient times. The domestic cultural relics community suffered greatly as a result.
With the strength of Boss Yu and his men, acquiring a few bronze tripods would not be a difficult task. Zhuang Rui had seen photos of the seized cultural relics, most of which were important bronze artifacts and ancient jade used for sacrificial rites, which were priceless.
Furthermore, their violent looting has rendered many ancient tombs unrepairable and their historical dates impossible to verify, resulting in numerous unsolved cases. Professor Meng, who conducts academic research, always appears heartbroken whenever he mentions this matter.
"Officer Miao, since you know that person is involved in a major cultural relics case in Shaanxi, why don't you just arrest him directly? Why are you asking me?"
Having figured out these details, Zhuang Rui still didn't quite understand why Miao Feifei had come to him. They had already caught Yu Laoqi, so there was no need for any so-called catching the thief and seizing the stolen goods. They could have just issued an arrest warrant and arrested him, wouldn't that have solved the problem?
"Zhuang Rui, I think it would be better if we met in person. There are some things that can't be explained over the phone. Don't worry, I'm only calling to discuss the case. If you don't want me to bother you in the future, you can pretend we were never friends..."
Miao Feifei sighed. She knew that Zhuang Rui didn't want to get involved in the case, mainly because he didn't want to have much contact with her. As a woman, Miao Feifei also had her pride. When she said these words, she also drew a clear line between herself and Zhuang Rui.
"Officer Miao, that's not what I meant, I really didn't mean that..."
Zhuang Rui heard Miao Feifei's words were a bit harsh. He quickly explained that although Miao Feifei was a bit straightforward and couldn't tolerate any injustice, she was still a good girl and a good friend.
"Alright, that's enough. If you have time now, I hope you'll cooperate with my work. If you don't have time, I can have a colleague talk to you tomorrow..."
Miao Feifei interrupted Zhuang Rui, her voice sounding somewhat cold in the night.
"Xuanbing, look..."
Zhuang Rui covered the phone's microphone with his hand and looked at Qin Xuanbing.
"What am I looking at? Go ahead, I didn't say anything to you..."
Qin Xuanbing glared at Zhuang Rui with annoyance, then turned and walked towards the room. As she opened the door, she turned back and said, "Rui, I'm going to take a shower first. I'll wait for you to come back..."
Watching Qin Xuanbing enter the room, Zhuang Rui was both amused and exasperated. A woman's heart is truly unfathomable. Can't we just talk things out?
"Alright, Officer Miao, I'll be right out..."
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui shook his head, walked out of the courtyard through the front gate, and crossed the quiet alleyway. He saw a police car parked at the intersection.
"Officer Miao, shall we find a place to sit down and talk?"
Zhuang Rui opened the back door of the police car and got in. The driver was Miao Feifei, who looked very dashing in her police uniform, though she looked a little thinner than she had two months ago.
Zhuang Rui is now aware of his identity and realizes that it is inappropriate for him to be flirtatious when talking to women. Therefore, he no longer calls Miao Feifei by her name as before, but instead adds the word "police officer".
"No……"
Miao Feifei glanced at Zhuang Rui in the rearview mirror and said, "Here are the suspect's files and photos. Take a look and identify him..."
As she spoke, Miao Feifei turned around, handed Zhuang Rui a file folder, and turned on the car's interior light. "Take a look. Is the person in the photo the one you met today...?"
"Yu Zhenping, 32 years old, 1.52 meters tall, from Luoyang, Henan Province. The eighth child in his family, nicknamed 'Old Eighth Yu,' he was the ringleader of a major tomb-robbing gang in Henan and Shaanxi provinces. He began engaging in tomb-robbing at the age of sixteen, participating in the excavation of nearly a hundred ancient tombs. He escaped during a manhunt in June 2004..."
On one of the documents in the file folder was a photograph, and below the photograph was a clear account of Yu Ping's life and deeds, which left Zhuang Rui speechless.
He started his tomb raiding business at the age of 16 and excavated nearly a hundred ancient tombs. He is definitely a master in the tomb raiding world. He is probably comparable to the tomb raiders during the Three Kingdoms period. Even in terms of professional skills, they may not be much better than him.
According to his resume, the ancient tombs excavated by the Yu family tomb raiding group were mostly the work of Yu Laoba in terms of feng shui analysis and tomb location. Even the digging and drilling were mostly done by Yu Laoba, so he was proficient in everything.
After reading the man's resume, Zhuang Rui even felt that such a professional should be recruited into the archaeological team. Putting everything else aside, Yu Laoba's unique sense of ancient tombs was far superior to even Professor Meng's.
Zhuang Rui really felt it was a pity to arrest someone like that and have him shot.
"Well, did you recognize him? Is this the person you saw this afternoon?"
Seeing that Zhuang Rui hadn't spoken for a long time, Miao Feifei couldn't help but ask him a question.
Zhuang Rui didn't answer Miao Feifei's question, but instead asked, "Officer Miao, how did you know I saw this person this afternoon?"
“He is our prime suspect, and we are closely monitoring his every move. It’s not just you; there are several other people in Panjiayuan who have also been in contact with him…”
Miao Feifei was very nice today, answering all of Zhuang Rui's questions.
"It's him. His appearance is slightly different, but his height is something that can't be changed. Hmm, it must be him..."
Hearing Miao Feifei's words, Zhuang Rui felt relieved and chuckled to himself, "Dude, even if you're handsome, don't mistake everyone for a lovesick fool."
However, Zhuang Rui was still somewhat puzzled and asked, "Officer Miao, since you have such detailed intelligence, why don't you just arrest him? The crime Yu Laoba committed wasn't illegal trading of cultural relics, but excavating an ancient tomb. With the evidence you have, you could sentence him to death..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Miao Feifei nodded and said, "Arresting Yu Zhenping is easy, and convicting him is also easy, but we want to use Yu Ping as a lead to trace the criminal group that received the stolen goods in Hong Kong. Moreover, according to Yu Zhenping's cousin, Yu Laoqi, they still have nearly a thousand antiques that they couldn't sell, all of which remained in the country. The location of their hiding place is known only to Yu Zhenping, besides the deceased ringleader Yu Ku..."
After Yu Laoqi was caught in Shaanxi, he witnessed the power of state dictatorship. That guy was very disloyal and spilled everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.
However, Yu Zhenjiang, also known as Yu Laoqi, although the mastermind behind the Yu family's tomb-robbing group, didn't hold a very high position. Otherwise, why would he be assigned the job of keeping watch while others were retrieving items from tombs?
In addition, Boss Yu is cold-hearted and extremely selfish. He personally controls many things, and even his own brothers don't know much about them. Only Yu Zhenping, who has been by Boss Yu's side for many years, knows the most.
According to Yu Laoqi, Yu Zhenping seemed to have suffered some kind of shock when he was sixteen or seventeen years old, which made him very extreme and stubborn. If he didn't want to talk, you couldn't get him to open his mouth no matter what you did.