Director Zhao, being somewhat loyal, gave Yu Zhengjun a heads-up. He glanced at Zhuang Rui, Peng Fei, and Li Dali beside him, then lowered his voice further, saying, "Those are your friends, right? Take them and leave quickly, this matter has reached the highest levels..."
What are the police for? Isn't it to protect the safety of the people? How can they catch criminals if they don't have a good eye? Of course, a good eye can be applied to many things.
Director Zhao has a good eye; he recognized the car that the municipal government was taking pictures of at the factory gate at a glance. Moreover, judging from the license plate number, it must belong to a city leader. For Director Zhao, who is only a deputy section chief, a city leader is already a very important leader.
"Hey, Mayor Cen can't force people to go to Japan, can he?"
Yu Zhengjun, who travels frequently between Northeast and West China, has a strong sense of brotherhood. Upon hearing Director Zhao's words, he couldn't help but shout. He had heard of forcing women into prostitution, but it was truly rare to hear someone so eager to send another person abroad.
"What, going to Japan?"
Director Zhao paused for a moment, then said, "Our mission is to investigate Xu Guoqing's tax evasion and unlicensed business operations. What does that have to do with going to Japan?"
"You didn't know? Mayor Cen just came to ask Lao Xu to go to Japan for an academic exchange, but Lao Xu kicked him out, and then you guys came..."
Yu Zhengjun and Director Zhao had a very close relationship, so he quickly explained the whole story.
"Hey, Mr. Yu, is there something wrong with your friend? You're offering him millions of dollars a year, and he won't go? Isn't he just asking for trouble?"
After hearing Yu Zhengjun's words, Director Zhao's eyes widened as if he had heard a fairy tale, his face full of disbelief, and he couldn't help but swear.
"That's right, Old Xu's been making porcelain all day and he's gone mad..."
Yu Zhengjun also complained, "Three million US dollars in research funding a year? If it were me, I could easily squeeze out two million and pocket it, and I could earn my current wealth in a year."
"Director Zhao, may I ask if your superiors have given any instructions on how to handle this matter?"
Zhuang Rui heard everything clearly. Judging from the background, it seemed they wanted to lock Xu Guoqing up in jail for a few days to sober up, which was something Zhuang Rui couldn't tolerate.
"Mr. Yu, who are they?"
Director Zhao glanced at Zhuang Rui warily, then turned his gaze to Yu Zhengjun.
"Old Zhao, let me introduce you. This is General Manager Zhuang, a big boss from Beijing. This is General Manager Li, the owner of Shijiazhuang Guangda Auction House. His business is also very large. They are both good friends of mine..."
Yu Zhengjun quickly introduced Zhuang Rui and the others to Director Zhao.
"Oh, it's Mr. Li. My apologies, my apologies..."
Director Zhao wasn't very interested in Zhuang Rui. So what if he was a big boss? You can't just turn the money in a big boss's pocket into your own. However, Director Zhao had heard a lot about Li Dali and knew that this guy in front of him had a lot of influence in Shijiazhuang and the Beijing-Tianjin area. His wariness lessened considerably.
When Zhuang Rui saw that Director Zhao did not answer his question, he knew that he did not have much influence in front of these people, so he gave Li Dali a wink.
After seeing Zhuang Rui's meaningful look, Li Dali asked, "Director Zhao, I'm also friends with Boss Xu. Do you think... we can resolve this matter peacefully?"
"Sigh, Mr. Li, you've asked for my permission, so I should give you face. But this was arranged by County Chief Kong, and I'm just a nobody; I don't have the ability..."
Director Zhao is a shrewd and tactful person who doesn't want to offend anyone. Whether or not Xu Guoqing is arrested has nothing to do with him.
"However, I think I just heard County Chief Kong say something like, 'As long as Xu Guoqing can hand over the porcelain kiln and the formula, the county can treat it as a scientific research achievement and not pursue his illegal activities...'"
Director Zhao's purpose in coming here was merely to serve as a deterrent and to arrest people if negotiations failed. He was too low-ranking to speak directly with the county magistrate. Director Zhao overheard this conversation when County Magistrate Kong was instructing Director Wu of the Industry and Commerce Bureau.
"What? Damn it, shameless!" Zhuang Rui cursed immediately after hearing Director Zhao's words. It turned out that Mayor Cen really didn't care about his reputation for the sake of political achievements. He actually helped the Japanese to ask Xu Guoqing for the formula for imitating ancient porcelain. Morally speaking, what's the difference between this and treason?
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and then said, "Director Zhao, you can hold off on this for a while, about half an hour will do. I'll thank you later..."
After saying this, Zhuang Rui took out his phone and walked to a secluded spot.
"Hey, I don't have that right..."
"Director Zhao, listening to General Manager Zhuang is the right thing to do. You'll benefit from it later..."
Before Director Zhao could finish speaking, Li Dali interrupted him. Unlike Yu Zhengjun, who was hesitant and indecisive, Li Dali had already guessed Zhuang Rui's unfathomable background from the moment he saw Zhuang Rui at the club, where he casually instructed the manager to process membership cards. ...
"Xu Guoqing, your factory's business license was issued in 1982 and is valid for 20 years. According to relevant regulations, if you fail to participate in the annual inspection for two consecutive years, your business license will be revoked... According to our records, you haven't conducted the annual inspection since 2000. Failing to submit the annual inspection materials within the prescribed time limit is punishable by a fine of 20,000 yuan..."
Xu Guoqing hurriedly found the business license and took it to his office, only to be met with those words from earlier.
"Um... I don't know, I need to call and ask..."
Xu Guoqing had never managed anything in the factory before, so he had no idea about annual inspections or deadlines. He was completely bewildered by what Director Wu had said.
Not to mention Xu Guoqing was on the phone with his wife who had gone back to her parents' home, Zhuang Rui was outside, also lowering his voice and talking to Ouyang Jun on the phone. The main reason was that Zhuang Rui couldn't think of anyone else besides Ouyang Jun to handle this matter.
"Hey kid, why are you causing so much trouble? Beijing is so big, isn't that enough for you to mess around with? You even went to Hebei Province to cause trouble. I don't have that kind of influence..."
Ouyang Jun grumbled on the phone.
"Fourth Brother, those Japanese devils are plundering our country's cultural heritage..."
Zhuang Rui said.
"Then go find my dad. What's the point of coming to me?"
Ouyang Jun replied.
"That's true, alright, Fourth Brother, then there's nothing more for you..."
Zhuang Rui thought to himself that this matter was under his uncle's jurisdiction, so he hung up Ouyang Jun's call and dialed the number.
Chapter 794 The Situation (Part 1)
"Xiao Rui, why did you suddenly decide to call your uncle? Is something wrong?"
When Ouyang Zhenwu heard Zhuang Rui's voice coming through the receiver, he couldn't help but feel a little strange. In his memory, this nephew had never called him before.
"Uncle, there's something I need your help with..."
Zhuang Rui heard arguing coming from an office not far away, and took a few more steps toward the wall overgrown with weeds.
"Hehe, this is quite a rare thing, Xiao Rui. Tell me what it is?"
When Ouyang Zhenwu heard Zhuang Rui asking him for help again, he couldn't help but laugh. Although his nephew was young, he was very sensible. Even when he opened the museum last time, he had never taken the initiative to ask him for help. This was the first time he had asked him so openly.
Just then, Secretary Wang knocked on the door and came in, saying, "Minister, there are a few minutes left..."
"Let them discuss it first and come up with a plan. I'll be there later..."
Ouyang Zhenwu waved his hand. It was rare for his nephew to call and ask for a favor for the first time. As long as it didn't violate his principles, he, as the uncle, had to do it for his nephew. Besides, Ouyang Zhenwu had been finding his home too quiet lately and had been going to Zhuang Rui's courtyard house for meals from time to time.
Moreover, Ouyang Zhenwu was also a little curious about what Zhuang Rui couldn't resolve that made him need to ask these old guys for help.
Ouyang Zhenwu knew that Zhuang Rui had asked the Ouyang family for favors before, but those were minor matters, and he hadn't paid much attention to them. This time, however, Zhuang Rui went directly to his father instead of his son, which surprised Ouyang Zhenwu.
"Yes, I'll inform them right away..."
Secretary Wang glanced at the phone next to Minister Ouyang's ear, turned and walked out of the office. However, he was wondering which member of Ouyang's family had called. He knew that the phone was for Ouyang Zhenwu's family use only, and no outsider would know the number.
"Uncle, is something wrong right now?"
Zhuang Rui heard the voice coming from the other end of the microphone.
Ouyang Zhenwu said, "It's alright, go ahead and tell me, but make it short..."
"Uncle, it's like this, I met a highly skilled expert in ancient ceramic reproduction, and I came to Hebei Province today to visit him, but I never expected..."
Zhuang Rui recounted the whole story, especially how Yamaki Taro used investment to coerce Xu Guoqing into going to Japan, and the arrival of the joint law enforcement team.
“Uncle, you’re in charge of the cultural department. Xu Guoqing’s skills in restoring and replicating ancient ceramics are absolutely master-level in China. If Yamamoto really invites him to Japan, it will be a great loss to our country’s ceramic culture…”
Fearing that Ouyang Zhenwu might not know Xu Guoqing's value, Zhuang Rui went on to explain the difficulties of restoring and replicating ancient ceramics, praising Xu Guoqing to the skies.
"You just said that the county magistrate instructed the development of the firing formula for Cizhou kiln official porcelain, is that right?"
Ouyang Zhenwu's question hit the nail on the head: with the recipe, whether or not someone goes is no longer the most important thing. After a few more experiments, I believe that the Japanese man will be able to make it.
"Yes, it seems someone just said that once they get the formula, they won't pursue the issue of Xu Guoqing's business license..."
Zhuang Rui nodded in reply, indicating that he had also thought of this point.
"Alright, I know about this. Don't say anything more. Let me ask about the situation first..."
"Hey, Uncle, this guy's about to be taken away. You can't just ignore him. Xu Gong is a traditional craftsman, and he's under your command..."
Although Zhuang Rui wasn't involved in officialdom, he usually gave perfunctory answers to questions like "What's going on?" So when he heard Ouyang Zhenwu's words, he immediately became anxious.
"You're usually quite steady in your actions, what's the rush? What's the big deal about taking them away? Let them return them the same way they took them away," Ouyang Zhenwu laughed upon hearing this. The strong confidence in his words made Zhuang Rui realize that his uncle was actually a number one figure in the princeling party back then, and a pure princeling at that. His tone was much more arrogant than Ouyang Jun's.
"Uncle is right, then I'll leave this matter to you..."
Hearing Ouyang Zhenwu's words, Zhuang Rui finally felt relieved and hung up the phone. ...
"Comrade Qi Zhengguo? This is Ouyang Zhenwu. I have something I'd like to ask you..."
Ouyang Zhenwu smiled and shook his head, then picked up the phone and dialed the number. The person he called was the Party Secretary of Hebei Province.
Ouyang Zhenwu didn't mention Zhuang Rui's matter, only saying that the ministry had discovered an expert in the restoration and reproduction of ancient porcelain who had suffered some unfair treatment in Gao County.
Ouyang Zhenwu didn't mention any unfair treatment, but after emphasizing the importance of this expert to cultural preservation, he hung up the phone.
People of their rank and position don't need to speak very directly. Ouyang Zhenwu has already expressed his meaning. If that secretary doesn't want to antagonize the Ouyang family, he will definitely handle this matter seriously.
Qi Zhengguo is 55 years old this year and can be considered a young and promising provincial party secretary. Although he is not close to the Ouyang family, he has no animosity with them. He was surprised and uncertain when he suddenly received this call from Ouyang Zhenwu.
Qi Zhengguo would never believe that an expert would have Ouyang Zhenwu call him personally. There must be something he didn't know about this matter. However, since Ouyang Zhenwu had called, he would definitely have to inquire about it.
Qi Zhengguo and Ouyang Zhenwu are considered to be of equal rank, and as a regional official, Qi Zhengguo has more real power than Ouyang Zhenwu. However, in terms of background and experience, Secretary Qi is far inferior. Ouyang's family even has a member of the core Standing Committee.
"Old Xia, this is Qi Zhengguo. Investigate Xu Guoqing from Gao County, Shijiazhuang, and that Japanese businessman, Yamaki, who was interested in investing in Shijiazhuang. See what's going on..."
After thinking for a while, Qi Zhengguo made a phone call to the director of the general office, adding as a final instruction: "Be quick. Also, find out who else is involved in this matter..."
A leader's word is enough to make subordinates run themselves ragged, let alone when it's a direct instruction from the immediate superior. Director Xia dared not be negligent, and the office immediately became busy as phone calls were made and various reports were compiled onto Director Xia's desk.
When it comes to getting serious, the government's efficiency is exceptionally high. In just half an hour, the ins and outs of the matter were clear, and even Zhuang Rui's name was found out and placed on Secretary Qi's desk.
"So that's how it was..."
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui's name, Secretary Qi smiled. The people below might not know about Ouyang Jun's recent troubles, but those at his level were very clear that the only grandson of the old man of the Ouyang family was named Zhuang Rui.
"Investing in a ceramics factory in Shijiazhuang?"
Secretary Qi frowned and said to Director Xia, who was standing respectfully to the side, "Old Xia, the central government has repeatedly emphasized that foreign-invested enterprises that pollute the environment must be strictly vetted and thoroughly reviewed. What's going on here? We can't prioritize the economy over the environment. Otherwise, a hundred years from now, people will be pointing fingers at us and cursing us..."
"Yes, yes, Secretary Qi is right. I will pass on this instruction immediately..."
Director Xia nodded repeatedly, though he didn't really understand what had happened.
"Furthermore, this Xu Guoqing can replicate Cizhou ware porcelain, which is a cultural highlight of our province. Comrades like him deserve respect..."
Secretary Qi naturally wanted his subordinates to know what was going on, so he continued, "Go to Gao County personally and handle this matter properly. This isn't sixty years ago..."
"Yes, I'll be right there. Does Secretary Qi have any further instructions?"