After making the call, Zhuang Ruizhou stood up from the pavilion and saw Tai Xuanbing and Xu Qing walk into the central courtyard. Xu Qing's belly was already quite prominent, and she was having difficulty walking. Zhuang Ruizhou couldn't understand where she got so much energy to go with Qin Xuanbing to try on wedding dresses.
"Go away, get out of here! How dare you touch my wife like that? You'll get a beating if you do!"
Ouyang Jun emerged from behind Xu Qing, slapped away Zhuang Rui's hand that was reaching for her, and placed his own hand on top of hers as if it were perfectly natural, saying:
If anyone's going to touch you, it'll be me. You won't get this treatment until your wife gets pregnant..."
Qin Xuanbing, standing to the side, blushed at Ouyang Jun's words and glared at Zhuang Rui embarrassedly. Her husband had also gone astray, daring to touch other women in front of her.
"You look like a jerk..."
Looking at her husband, who was acting like a complete clown, Xu Qing couldn't help but laugh and cry. Plus, she had been out for half a day and wasn't feeling well, so with Ouyang Jun's help, she went back to her room to rest.
Zhuang Rui leaned close to Qin Xuanbing's ear and whispered:
"Hey, honey, let's go back and make a baby!" "All you ever think about is..."
Qin Xuanbing stamped her foot, but changed the subject, saying:
I've been stuck in the air-conditioned room for a while and want to get some fresh air. Let's sit here for a bit..."
The old locust tree by the pond has lush foliage, and there is a set of stone tables and chairs under the tree. It is not too hot to sit on it, and listening to the cicadas chirping from all over the garden, it has a unique charm.
"Zhuang Rui, Sister Xu Qing wore a wedding dress today too, she looks so beautiful..."
"In my heart, you are the most beautiful," Zhuang Rui said, a rare expression of affection.
"You're such a hassle. You didn't even go to try on your wedding dress. The photography studio is going to have to take all your clothes with them tomorrow. It's such a hassle."
Qin Xuanbing slapped Zhuang Rui's chest in dissatisfaction.
"Tomorrow!" "Ouch!"
Zhuang Rui slapped himself hard on the forehead.
He suddenly remembered that he was waiting for Yu Zhenping's call tomorrow, and Jiang Hao had also told him to be on standby at any time and not to run around. How could he have forgotten about that?
Qin Xuanbing grabbed Zhuang Rui's hand, which was still trying to struggle with his head, and asked:
What's wrong, Zhuang Rui?
"Xuanbing, I'm sorry, I can't go to Hainan these next few days. There's an urgent matter at the museum. I want to buy a batch of cultural relics. I'll wait for news." Zhuang Rui shook his head regretfully. It was all his fault for being blinded by the 400 bronze artifacts that Yu Zhenping mentioned. He had completely forgotten that he was going to Hainan tomorrow.
Qin Xuanbing knew that Zhuang Rui had been extremely busy lately, and said understandingly, "
"It's alright, work is more important. Besides, it's so hot, I don't want to go out and bother. But I need to let the photo studio know, they've already booked their plane tickets..."
"Oh, it's all my fault, Xuanbing. Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a grand wedding..."
Zhuang Rui felt really guilty. Girls all have a longing and yearning for taking wedding photos. Qin Xuanbing had been looking forward to it for a long time, but she didn't expect that it would not be possible to go this time.
"Didn't I say that the wedding should be simple, just inviting a few family members? It's okay, it's not like we won't take the photos a few days later, there's nothing to apologize for. Let's go, I'm going back to my room to make a call." Qin Xuanbing's personality was much more open-minded than Zhuang Rui had imagined, and she comforted Zhuang Rui with a few words.
They got their marriage certificate some time ago, and legally they are now husband and wife. Qin Xuanbing is rather indifferent and doesn't really have much of an idea about a wedding.
However, when Ouyang Wan found out about this that evening, she gave Zhuang Rui a severe scolding. The whole dinner was like a denunciation meeting for Zhuang Rui. Even the little girl made faces and flicked his nose at Zhuang Rui, making him suffer terribly.
The next morning around 8 a.m., Zhuang Rui, who had been working hard all night and was fast asleep, was woken up by his phone.
"Xiao Zhuang, we can handle the bank draft and the 500,000 RMB, but do you think you can come up with a way to get the 500,000 USD?"
Jiang Hao was really desperate. He begged and pleaded with everyone he could to scrape together 500,000 RMB, and then pulled out a forger from the police station overnight to make a bank draft that was so realistic it was indistinguishable from a real one.
However, Jiang Hao couldn't get his hands on US dollars anytime soon, since the police weren't paid in US dollars.
"Why should I? I was just looking for you, Team Leader Jiang. I can't handle this. We were supposed to go to Hainan to take wedding photos today, but this has ruined everything. And you want me to pay you back? No way!"
Upon hearing Jiang Hao's words, Zhuang Rui's anger flared up immediately, and he vented all the anger he had suffered at his mother's place yesterday on Team Leader Jiang.
Once Miao Feifei left the task force, no one mentioned providing Zhuang Rui's museum with a batch of seized cultural relics as exhibits anymore. Even that bronze jue was confiscated by them. It was a typical case of crossing the river and then burning the bridge. Zhuang Rui was seething with anger.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Jiang Hao's expression turned serious, and he said:
Xiao Zhuang, this is all for work, I hope you can understand and cooperate with our work..."
"I'm sorry, Team Leader Jiang, that's your job, it has nothing to do with me. Citizens are not obligated to pay for your work. Besides, don't you think you owe me money?"
Before Jiang Hao could finish speaking, Zhuang Rui interrupted him. The two bronze wine vessels had been taken away by the task force, but the police had not yet refunded him the 100,000 yuan he had spent. They said it was being processed, and who knows, maybe 100,000 yuan of Jiang Hao's 500,000 yuan was his own.
"This...this Xiao Zhuang, don't worry, once the case is closed, the money will be returned to you immediately. Would the government embezzle your private money?"
Jiang Hao was speechless after Zhuang Rui's words. They were in the wrong. They were supposed to return the money, but a leader from a certain department said that because Zhuang Rui had acted without authorization and lent money to the suspect, it had affected the progress of the case, and therefore the money had to be withheld.
It's not that the money won't be given to Zhuang Rui, it's just that it's being withheld temporarily. This withholding has lasted for more than two months, and Jiang Hao has forgotten about it for a while.
"Team Leader Jiang, I'm not trying to be mean, but this is really unfair of you. I risked my life to help you, and you failed to keep an eye on the suspect, and now you're blaming me for getting lost. You're withholding my money, and now you want me to pay you back. Tell me, is this any of a fair argument?"
Zhuang Rui was not one to back down, and more importantly, he had his own agenda. His friend hadn't even gone to take wedding photos, so he had to give him some explanation.
"this……"
Jiang Hao was extremely frustrated. If it were anyone else speaking to him like that, he would have already issued a summons and taken them to the police station. But since it was Zhuang Rui who said that, he really had no way to deal with it.
Police officers investigate cases based on who they are targeting. This is true even in a small county town, let alone Beijing. Arresting an ordinary citizen is easy; they might not even need an arrest warrant.
However, if you want to arrest some committee member or representative, the police generally don't have that authority. Although many people may be unhappy to hear this, it is indeed a real fact.
Zhuang Rui himself is nothing special, just a little money. But the background he has is so powerful that there are very few people in this land of over nine million square kilometers who dare to touch him. Just yesterday's report on monitoring Zhuang Rui's phone was personally approved by the Minister.
Chapter 689 Greed
Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, is an important inland open city and a famous historical and cultural city in China. Located in the heart of the Central Plains…
"Standing majestically at the center, controlling strategic locations," it is a vital transportation, communication, and energy hub for the entire country.
Zhengzhou is bordered by the Yellow River to the north, Mount Song to the south, Luoyang, the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, to the west, Kaifeng, the ancient capital of seven dynasties, to the south, and Xuchang, the former capital of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. Zhengzhou itself is also one of China's eight ancient capitals.
With such a long history, Zhengzhou boasts incredibly rich tourism resources. The birthplace of the Yellow Emperor, the Peiligang Cultural Site, the Dahecun Site, the Xia Dynasty Yangcheng Site, the Yellow River Scenic Area, the Dacun Site, the Song Dynasty tombs in Gongyi City, the unique cultural tourism clusters, and the Songshan Scenic Area centered around the Shaolin Temple and Songshan National Forest Park all contribute to Zhengzhou's immense charm.
Unlike the feeling of being in Beijing, the capital city, Zhuang Rui felt a profound Central Plains culture as soon as he arrived in Zhengzhou. This place, which has a history of more than 8,000 years of civilization, has nurtured nearly a hundred great figures throughout history, including Bai Juyi, Du Fu, and Li Shangyin, and has its own unique regional civilization and culture.
Of course, Zhuang Rui did not come here to study the Central Plains culture, nor was he here for sightseeing. The reason he took a flight to Zhengzhou overnight was simply because of a phone call from Yu Zhenping.
This phone call not only prompted Zhuang Rui to fly to Zhengzhou overnight on his private jet, but also kept the ministry's special task force in a frenzy, with everyone rushing to the ancient city of Zhengzhou using various modes of transportation.
For the sake of secrecy, the task force only notified the Criminal Investigation Department of Henan Province and did not alert local police forces, in order to avoid alerting the suspects.
Although it's been basically determined that Yu Zhenping is within Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou is such a large and chaotic place that finding a single person is like finding a needle in a haystack. Furthermore, if Yu Zhenping is alerted and he flees to other provinces or cities, it will be even more difficult to catch him.
"Team Leader Jiang, Yu Zhenping just called and said he won't have time until the day after tomorrow. What does that mean?"
Just after checking into the Zhengzhou Yuda International Trade Hotel, Zhuang Rui received a call from Yu Zhenping. After telling him which hotel he was staying at, Yu Zhenping told Zhuang Rui that he had something to do the next day and could only take Zhuang Rui to see the goods the day after tomorrow.
Yu Zhenping always turns off his phone immediately after making a call, leaving Zhuang Rui with no choice but to report it to Jiang Hao.
After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, a voice came through, saying:
Our analysis suggests that Yu Zhenping is highly likely to follow you tomorrow to check for any danger. Therefore, we won't arrange for anyone to follow you. However, Xiao Zhuang, you must keep that tracker with you. Contact us immediately if anything happens…”
Jiang Hao and his buddies were currently holed up in the police guesthouse. Although the Henan police had done a good job in receiving them, they dared not relax at all. They had declined the banquet hosted by the Criminal Investigation Department and were urging the Henan police to arrange a car with Henan license plates.
After hearing Jiang Hao's words, Zhuang Rui said:
Okay, then I'll look around Zhengzhou tomorrow..."
There's a reason why Zhuang Rui is so easy to talk to.
Yesterday, because of the $500,000 issue, Zhuang Rui secured tangible benefits for himself. After the case was solved, Zhuang Rui will receive one-third of the seized cultural relics. Of course, he only has the right to exhibit them, not ownership, and the state can take them back at any time.
According to Jiang Hao, this was a promise made personally by a leader in the ministry, and Zhuang Rui wasn't worried about them reneging on the agreement, since he had recorded all the phone calls.
If the police change their minds, Zhuang Rui plans to have Ouyang Si Ge (Brother Ouyang) handle it. Back in the day, Ouyang Jun made his fortune by obtaining approval slips, so he definitely has a knack for dealing with government departments. Zhuang Rui isn't worried about not getting the item back.
"Alright, Peng Fei, go to sleep. We'll go to Taobao tomorrow." Zhuang Rui only told Peng Fei the purpose of this trip to Zhengzhou.
In his view, given Yu Zhenping's thin arms and legs, Peng Fei could handle him on his own. Why bother sending so many police officers from Beijing? It was a pure waste of taxpayers' money.
The Yuda International Trade Hotel is located in the Zhongyuan District of Zhengzhou, which is considered the city center. After getting up the next morning, Zhuang Rui asked around and took a taxi with Peng Fei straight to the Zhengzhou Antique City. As one of China's eight ancient capitals, Zhengzhou's history can be traced back 8,000 years. Countless emperors and generals are buried in its vicinity, and countless precious cultural relics have been unearthed throughout history. Naturally, the antique market in such a place is exceptionally developed.
In terms of quantity, Zhengzhou has six large antique markets, each with an area of over 20,000 square meters, a scale that is rare in the country.
In particular, the Zhengzhou Antique City, a large four-story market, offers a wide variety of goods including antiques, arts and crafts, and collectibles. It is not only Zhengzhou's first antique market, but also ranks second in size nationwide.
After arriving at the antique market by taxi, Zhuang Rui, the "industry leader" of Zhengzhou, looked at the buildings and couldn't help but say:
As expected of an ancient capital of eight dynasties, its cultural heritage is truly exceptional…
"Brother Zhuang, any place in Beijing is just as good as this, right?"
Peng Fei looked at the three-story yellow building in front of him, curled his lip, and said dismissively, "People who grew up in the capital have always believed that Beijing's historical and cultural heritage is the most profound."
"What do you know? This antique market was built on the site of the Sunset Tower..."
Seeing Peng Fei's bewildered expression, Zhuang Rui, ever the know-it-all, explained to him:
Xiyang Tower is a building from the Tang Dynasty, and it is one of the eight famous towers of the Tang Dynasty, along with Yellow Crane Tower, Yueyang Tower, Misty Rain Tower, and Hawk Tower.
Li Shangyin wrote the famous line "Ascending the Sunset Tower" while living in Zhengzhou.
Amidst the willows' shadows and the flowers' glimmer, sorrow lingers; I climb the highest city walls, then ascend the highest tower. I long to ask the lone wild goose where it flies, but it knows not its own fate, adrift and uncertain.
According to ancient records, the Sunset Tower was built on the foundation of a three-story brick building. With its flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted pillars, it soared into the clouds and was a magnificent sight. When the sun set, the afterglow gilded the top of the tower with a layer of gorgeous gold. Climbing the tower and looking out, one could see the sunset glow reflecting on the western mountains and colorful clouds swirling around the village, which was truly a wonderful sight.
However, with the passage of time and the changing of the world, the ancient Sunset Tower and the literary figures who left behind timeless verses about it have long since been lost to the long river of history.
"Hey, Zhuang, after all that talk, it's all been built later, how boring..."
Peng Fei disapproved of Zhuang Rui's mournful manner, and not wanting to be caught by Zhuang Rui during class, he immediately walked into the antique market.
The first floor of the antique market is a jade and wooden handicraft area, with stalls packed tightly together. It's bustling with people, as if they don't need to go to work and just come here to find bargains and make money.
Since CCTV launched its treasure appraisal program in 2002, people's understanding of antiques has been increasing, especially in ancient cities with a long history, where every household is rummaging through their belongings to see what valuable items they can find.
In an era where everyone is collecting antiques, the business of antique markets has naturally improved. The fact that Zhengzhou went from having two antique markets to six in one go is the best proof of this.
Although the first floor is large, it is relatively quiet. The customers coming and going are quietly observing the items they like. Only a few stall owners are chatting together, talking about interesting things in the antique business.
Zhuang Rui had nothing to do today, so he just came to browse around in his spare time. In this kind of large, open-air antique market, the chances of finding a bargain are very small, so he was in a good mood.
After looking at several stalls, just as Zhuang Rui had expected, what was displayed outside were all new jade imitations of antique items. These days, nobody is stupid, and the kind of thing that used to be done by selling treasures as junk is becoming increasingly rare.
"Old Li, you made a fortune the other day, didn't you? You got so many jade pieces, why didn't you share some with us?"