For this reason, coupled with the desire to uncover an international tomb raiding and resale syndicate, the police did not make a hasty arrest, fearing that Yu Laoba would become reckless and prevent these stolen precious cultural relics from ever seeing the light of day again.
However, judging from the current situation, after nearly a year of lying low, Yu Laoba did not go to the Hong Kong supplier to sell the stolen goods. Instead, he risked coming to Beijing to sell the stolen goods. It is likely that he did not have the contact information of the Hong Kong supplier. Therefore, the main reason for not arresting him now is to try to find out where the stolen cultural relics are hidden.
Police psychologists analyzed that Yu Laoba was taking advantage of people's belief that the more dangerous a place is, the safer it is, to come to Beijing to sell stolen goods. However, he did not expect that from the first day he entered Panjiayuan, he was being watched by the relevant authorities, who issued a notice for assistance in the investigation and confirmed his identity.
The major tomb raiding case involving five provinces—Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, and Hubei—was personally supervised by the Ministry of Public Security. Now that the main culprit has surfaced, the Ministry has immediately assembled a special task force, and Miss Miao is a member of this task force.
"This...this could fill a whole book..."
After listening to Miao Feifei's words, Zhuang Rui breathed a long sigh of relief. It turns out that sometimes solving a case is not difficult; the difficult part is how to recover the losses.
Of course, those items that were lost overseas from the Yu family's tomb-robbing group are probably gone forever, and may already be in the collection room of some collector abroad.
"Officer Miao, how can I help you with this?"
Upon hearing that only Yu Laoba remained in the Yu family's tomb-raiding gang, Zhuang Rui's courage immediately grew. No matter how ruthless Yu Laoba was, he was still just one person, and with his small stature, he wouldn't suffer any losses even if he went head-to-head with him.
Besides, even if Miao Feifei asked him to be the bait, he had already made it clear to Yu Laoba that he wouldn't show up during the transaction, and even if there was danger, it wouldn't concern him much. Of course, Zhuang Rui wouldn't let Monkey go either; it would be best if the police arranged someone.
"This matter is somewhat dangerous. Based on the information we have, Yu Zhenping may very well be carrying a gun..."
Miao Feifei's words made Zhuang Rui immediately shrink back. Why didn't you say you had a gun earlier?
Chapter 677 Cooperation
"Isn't the country supposed to ban guns? How come these people have bombs and guns? Don't they care about the lives of us ordinary people?"
Zhuang Rui grumbled at Miao Feifei, but he also knew that it was very easy to get a gun at the China-Myanmar and China-Vietnam border. You could buy a pistol for a few hundred yuan, and it would even come with a few magazines and bullets.
With a population of over a billion, how can you just control them? Miao Feifei glanced at Zhuang Rui with frustration and said, "The country even prohibits the sale of bronze artifacts, but some people still ignore it."
"Hey, Officer Miao, I'm a law-abiding citizen. The bronze artifact I received was originally just a piece of scrap metal. I had no idea what level of cultural relic it was. Ignorance is no excuse..."
Zhuang Rui knew that Miao Feifei was referring to his possession of the Dingguang Sword, so he quickly explained that if the police really got involved and took the sword away, he wouldn't have anything to say.
"Alright, I don't have time for your stuff. Just tell me, are you going to help this time or not? If you're not willing, I'll find someone else..."
According to the information Miao Feifei had, Zhuang Rui was not the only person Pan Jiayuan and Yu Zhenping had contacted. Miao Feifei didn't know why she came to find Zhuang Rui first; perhaps she wanted to see him?
"No help. Safety first. To be honest, I don't really trust you police. Even snipers can miss. Last time in Shaanxi, it was Bai Shi who saved me. Hey, don't take offense, I'm just telling the truth..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head like a rattle drum. As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. Zhuang Rui is now a successful man, so there is no need for him to take that risk. Most importantly, there would be no benefit in taking the risk.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Miao Feifei said, "Then it's up to you. I originally heard you were going to open a museum, and I was thinking of helping you apply for some of the artifacts involved in the case after it was solved. Since you don't want to, then forget it. Get out of the car, I'm going back..."
"Wait... what did you say? Stolen goods can be given to private individuals?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned when he heard Miao Feifei's words. He had only ever heard of private individuals donating things to the country. Why did the country give items to private individuals?
"It's not for private individuals. It's for exhibition purposes only, after an agreement is signed with your museum. You have no right to sell or donate it, understand?"
If Zhuang Rui still doesn't understand what she's saying, then he's a fool. This kind of treatment is usually only available at the National Museum. He never expected that, according to Miao Feifei, he could also enjoy this treatment.
Although there are now three or four hundred private museums in China, most of them are struggling to survive due to limitations in scale, identity, and laws and regulations.
To put it bluntly, which some people may not like to hear, the attitude of Chinese people towards art is quite different from that of foreigners. Foreign collectors often donate their collections, which are often extremely valuable, to private or national museums. This is a very common practice abroad.
However, such things are rare in China. Although they do happen, there are only a handful of people who do them. Most people keep them secret and hide their treasures in their own collection rooms.
Of course, in China, the collections of private museums are all privately owned. However, when the time is right, many private museums abroad choose to socialize their assets by converting personal assets into social assets, establishing a board of directors, or using a foundation as a trustee.
This method can alleviate personal pressure, but the consequence is that what was originally one's own belongings becomes shared property. I doubt that many people in China who open private museums have the courage to do this.
Putting aside what others might say, Zhuang Rui would definitely not donate them. Otherwise, why would he even open a museum? He could just send his personal belongings to the Palace Museum and that would be the end of it.
National museums receive government funding and have their collections replenished by archaeological finds, so they naturally face little pressure. However, private museums do not enjoy these benefits. We have never heard of any collector donating money or artifacts to a private museum; they can only grit their teeth and struggle to survive.
People who collect things aren't necessarily rich. Many of them might be struggling financially, unable to afford rent or food, but the things they own could be worth millions. It's like having a golden bowl but begging for food.
The same applies to those who run private museums. They are often described as "rich but penniless" because they are unwilling to sell their collections.
Since he had decided to set up his own museum, Zhuang Rui had learned about these things beforehand. In China, almost all private museums that rely on ticket revenue are operating at a loss.
If we're talking about museums that are profitable and successful, then Mr. Ma Weidu's Guanfu Museum is probably the only one. However, the Guanfu Museum's model is something that is difficult for ordinary people to replicate.
Given Mr. Ma Weidu's reputation, he is undoubtedly the number one collector in China. He has used his social influence, integrity, and cultural background to gather many talents in the collecting world and form a membership system.
Mr. Ma himself can help with appraisal. When collectors can't find good items, they can communicate with each other among members. Nowadays, many collectors can't find good items and often encounter fakes. Some want to sell but can't find buyers.
Therefore, while operating his own museum, Ma Weidu also provides services to collectors. This is a win-win situation, essentially turning the museum into a big party. To participate, one must pay a membership fee, and for a small amount of money, one can enjoy many services.
This has led many collectors in Beijing and across the country to become members of the Guanfu Museum. Considering the sheer number of collectors in China, supporting a museum would be an easy task.
Zhuang Rui had considered this operating model before, but then he thought that although he was somewhat famous, he was just a novice in the art collecting circle, far inferior to Mr. Ma's reputation and connections accumulated over more than 20 years. It would be almost impossible for him to follow this model.
However, Zhuang Rui is rich, so even if the ticket sales are a bit of a loss, he can still afford to play. Therefore, he doesn't think much about the financial aspect. But a museum must have exhibits and collections, which is what Zhuang Rui values most right now.
It's fair to say that Miao Feifei's promise to donate a batch of cultural relics to him really touched Zhuang Rui, hitting his weak spot. He's not short of money, but he's short of quality items.
Some things can't be bought with money. Bill Gates is rich, right? But no matter how much money he has, he can't buy a single terracotta warrior from the burial pits in Xi'an.
To be honest, the reason Zhuang Rui agreed to meet Yu Zhenping earlier was because he had too few antiques and wanted to collect more. He had just seen information that thousands of precious cultural relics had been hidden by Yu Zhenping and Yu Laoda, and Zhuang Rui was immediately tempted.
Of course, to obtain these items, Zhuang Rui must first help the police solve the case and uncover the hidden antiques; otherwise, it's all just a mirage, something you can see but can't touch.
"Officer Miao, please tell me how you want me to cooperate..."
To be honest, although Yu Laoba might have a gun, Zhuang Rui wasn't really afraid of him because Yu Zhenping looked too harmless and wasn't even as tall as an average elementary school student, which made Zhuang Rui feel no fear.
If you were dealing with someone like Boss Yu, let alone donating a few antiques for Zhuang Rui to exhibit, even giving Zhuang Rui the Palace Museum... well, that's something to consider.
"First, we'll buy those two antiques from Yu Zhenping, but the price must be negotiated down, and it must be a cash transaction. After the transaction is completed, we'll arrange for someone to stage a scene to rob Yu Zhenping of his money. That way, Yu Zhenping won't have much money left, and he'll definitely continue to sell antiques, giving us our opportunity..."
After hearing Miao Feifei's words, Zhuang Rui thought about it for a moment and understood.
It turns out that the police were afraid that Yu Zhenping would become wealthy and then hide away like he had done before. This was a case that the Ministry of Public Security was supervising within a limited time, and the police didn't have that much time to waste on Yu Zhenping.
"Then what?"
Zhuang Rui asked.
“If you don’t have any money, Yu Zhenping will definitely try to trade with you again. When that happens, ask to buy some large antiques, and he can only take you to the place where he hides them. You don’t need to worry about the rest…”
According to the analysis of the special task force, Yu Zhenping is probably in dire financial straits, which has forced him to sell antiques. If the money is stolen or lost after a successful transaction, Yu Zhenping will definitely take the risk and sell the cultural relics again.
Judging from the fact that Yu Zhenping has not contacted any acquaintances since his escape, he must be a very suspicious and cautious person. Given the size of the bronze artifact, he would not have asked someone to move it, but would have taken Zhuang Rui to the hiding place to inspect the goods. In this way, the police had the opportunity to catch him red-handed.
After letting Zhuang Rui process her words for a moment, Miao Feifei continued, "The key point is that you need to gain Yu Zhenping's trust so that he will contact you again for the next deal..."
“Officer Miao, it wasn’t difficult for me to gain his trust, but his money was stolen right after the transaction. He might start to suspect me…”
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered a problem: he had just given Yu Zhenping the money, and the next day Yu Zhenping was robbed. Who knows, that guy might just come knocking on his door with a gun.
Miao Feifei laughed after hearing Zhuang Rui's words and said, "You don't need to worry about that. You don't necessarily have to rob him to make him penniless..."
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Chapter 678 Yu Zhenping (Part 1)
"Monkey, find a middleman to buy those two bronze wine vessels, but the price has to be low, aim for 50,000 each..."
Zhuang Rui sat in the "Xuanrui Zhai" booth in Panjiayuan and called in the monkey who was busy outside.
I already discussed it with Miao Feifei yesterday. I'll pay for those two cultural relics first. If the police handle things well and Yu Zhenping comes back to me to sell the antiques, then everything will proceed according to plan.
However, if the police mess things up and fail to make Yu Zhenping lose all his money, then the two bronze jue (wine vessels) will belong to Zhuang Rui. It cannot be considered as buying stolen goods. This is a small benefit that Zhuang Rui managed to secure for himself yesterday after much persuasion.
"Brother Zhuang, didn't you say you weren't going to buy it?"
The monkey was puzzled. Zhuang Rui had described the consequences so seriously yesterday, so why did he decide to buy it again after just one night?
"Just buy it when I tell you to. Why ask so many questions? If you can negotiate the price down to 50,000 each, just buy it. He'll probably ask for cash. You need to find someone you can trust..."
The most troublesome part of the plan for Zhuang Rui was finding a middleman. It wasn't that Zhuang Rui couldn't find one; people like Fatty Jin could do it. They had also dealt in black market antiques before. However, this matter was somewhat dangerous, and it had to be kept secret from others beforehand. After thinking about it, Zhuang Rui decided to let Monkey find one.
As the saying goes, "The most righteous are often from humble backgrounds." Monkey, who frequented Panjiayuan, was clever and generous, and made quite a few friends. Of course, whether they were just drinking buddies or true brothers who would go to great lengths for each other was another matter entirely.
Monkey patted his small, bony chest so hard it made a loud thud, and said, "Brother Zhuang, don't worry, I, Monkey, have a bit of a reputation in Panjiayuan now. Getting someone to handle this is no problem at all. But I'm afraid... we won't be able to negotiate the price down..."
How do you know it won't work if you haven't tried?
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "Two bronze jue (wine vessels), 100,000 yuan. Tell that person that if they want to sell, the transaction can be completed immediately; if not, ask them to choose someone else. However, you can make one thing clear: if there are any other important artifacts, I will offer a higher price to buy them, and we can discuss the details then..."
Not selling? If they don't sell, those two bronze jue vessels won't sell in this area of Beijing. Just last night, after Zhuang Rui agreed to cooperate with the police, all the buyers who had contacted Yu Zhenping were visited by the police one by one.
Of course, the police didn't ask them to refuse Yu Zhenping, as that would alert the suspects. If seven or eight people refused at the same time, Yu Zhenping would definitely become suspicious. The police simply asked these people to lower the price to below 50,000, forcing Yu Zhenping to sell to Zhuang Rui.
"Oh, right, give the middleman 10,000 yuan afterwards..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment, then added, "The middleman must be absolutely reliable. The money must be handed over to the other party. After the deal is finalized, come find me, and I'll give you the bank card..."
"Alright, Brother Zhuang, don't worry. If I, Monkey, can't even handle something this simple, I'd be too ashamed to follow you around..."
After arriving in Beijing, Da Xiong became more and more mature, and his position in the store gradually became more important, while the monkey became a dispensable character. After all, those antiques and jewelry all have prices marked, so who wouldn't sell them?
As a result, Monkey has been under a lot of psychological pressure lately. With such a high monthly salary, he would feel embarrassed to stay if he didn't help Zhuang Rui with something.
"Alright, stop talking and get this over with. There will be plenty of things for you to do later..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and patted Monkey on the shoulder. The museum was about to open, and he was short-handed. Monkey had a good tongue and could work as a guide at the museum, but he didn't know if Monkey would be willing.
Zhuang Rui has been extremely busy lately. He had originally planned to visit the construction site of the museum when he returned to China, but this matter has kept him occupied. Furthermore, the museum's security team has not yet been found. This morning, Zhuang Rui instructed Hao Long to find some retired comrades-in-arms to come and help.
As for Peng Fei, Zhuang Rui didn't even ask him. In his unit, the lowest rank was second lieutenant, and there were practically no retired soldiers. Even if they got older, they would go to ordinary units as instructors; it was impossible for them to work in a local museum. ...
Panjiayuan, located near the East Third Ring Road, is always bustling, which has also boosted the surrounding area. The location itself is already good, and with the Panjiayuan Antique Market driving the market, the consumption here is not much worse than in the city center.
Not far from Panjiayuan, there is a residential community. Unlike the surrounding high-rise residential buildings, this community consists entirely of seven-story buildings without elevators. Most of the residents here are old Beijingers.
Most of the residents in this community are former residents of traditional courtyard houses who were relocated due to demolition. Some of them received several apartments after the demolition, but they didn't sell them. Instead, they renovated them slightly and rented them out, and the rent is quite high. A typical two-bedroom apartment can cost several thousand yuan to rent.
Most of the people who can afford to rent these houses are white-collar workers. Every morning and evening, fashionable women and men in suits are busy coming and going in the community.
However, many people are unaware that another group of people live in this community, and their numbers exceed those of white-collar workers. This is the basement population of Beijing.
Since the 1980s, Beijing has built a large number of underground civil defense projects in conjunction with above-ground buildings. Some of these have been converted into storage rooms, but most of them remain idle.
Due to a lack of dedicated funds for maintenance and a lack of dedicated personnel for management, many underground civil defense projects are accumulating garbage and gradually falling into disrepair.
In order to change the dirty and chaotic state of underground civil defense projects, in the 1990s, the Beijing government proposed the policy of "promoting management through use and maintaining the underground facilities by using the facilities," encouraging people to use civil defense projects and charging a certain usage fee.