Chapter 993 - 958: Early Return

According to Jianming’s instructions, the Dongzhou police handled this matter as discreetly as possible, and no official news was released before the specific results were clear. Relevant departments also refused to accept any media interviews.

The Dongzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau originally wanted to clear away past shadows during this culture and tourism expo, but unexpectedly, they were hit with another blow.

Culture and Tourism Bureau Chief Li Yushan already has a foreboding sense of "a storm is brewing," and Vice Chief Xiao Dong feels even worse. Based on the preliminary information, it’s true that cultural relics were stolen and damaged during the construction of Jianjie Square.

This afternoon, Xiao Dong participated in the appraisal group and saw the relics hidden by Mrs. Zhang with his own eyes. Both the Han jade pig and the Wuhou seal are valuable treasures. What excites and energizes the experts the most is seeing images of numerous precious relics in the photos provided by Three Two Three, especially the exquisite Wuhou sword that is eye-catching. Based solely on the photo, experts determined that this Wuhou sword can even rival the Goujian Sword.

The higher the value of lost relics, the heavier the responsibility for related personnel. Ten years ago, Xiao Dong already held a deputy position at the relics bureau. Xiao Dong’s mood is extremely depressed, as the leaders ahead of him in the relics bureau have either died or left their positions. If this matter is investigated after the fact, he would be the one to take responsibility.

Li Yushan was so anxious that his hemorrhoids flared up, and in the afternoon, Fan Lidada accompanied him to Changshan Gastrointestinal Hospital for treatment.

Fan Lidada handed Li Yushan over to Zheng Peian, when he received a call from his old classmate Lu Ming. Lu Ming invited him to gather together in the evening.

Fan Lidada wasn’t in the mood, initially wanted to refuse, but Lu Ming told him that his younger brother Lu Qi had returned and was meeting with some good buddies tonight. Lu Qi had invited Xu Chunliang and Li Zhong on his side, while Lu Ming only invited Fan Lidada.

Fan Lidada thought about it and figured he wasn’t high-ranking in the culture and tourism bureau anyway. The higher-ups would handle the major issues, and from the current standpoint, Xiao Dong is basically in trouble. As for Li Yushan, who was tasked during a time of crisis but due to personal limitations, hasn’t achieved anything groundbreaking. Just as the opportunity arose for the Confucian Temple to start construction on the historical axis of Dongzhou, this unfortunate issue popped up.

Lu Qi was initially assigned to Xinjiang for a year and went for four months, performed exceptionally, and won third-class merit once. However, his father suffered a cerebral infarction and was hospitalized, so the unit leadership considered the situation and arranged for another person to swap with Lu Qi, allowing Lu Qi to return early.

Lu Qi had been back for three days without making it known. After dealing with family matters, the unit assigned him an important task, coincidentally handing him the investigation of the theft and damage of relics during the construction of Dongzhou Jieyan Square.

This case also involves the death of Liang Zhigang, which seems not complicated from the case details, but it happened ten years ago. Collecting many witness testimonies and evidence is not easy. The leadership assigned this case to Lu Qi partly due to trust and also to test the outcomes of his training in Xinjiang, but mainly because many people in the bureau developed a fear of difficulty over this tricky case.

Xu Chunliang and Su Qing were invited to the banquet by Lu Qi.

The group went to the First-class Residence on Zhuangyuan Street, a place they often gather.

Xu Chunliang drove to the entrance of First-class Residence, where the casually dressed Lu Qi came out to greet them. Lu Qi had become darker and thinner after not seeing him for several months, but looked even more robust.

Lu Qi said, "Driving over to drink, huh?"

Xu Chunliang cheerfully pointed to Su Qing, who got out of the car after him, and said, "I have a designated driver."

Su Qing greeted him with a smile, "Hi Brother Lu, is your wife here?"

Lu Qi replied, "She’s busy at the shop today." Actually, he didn’t want Yu Li to know he was buried in work as soon as he returned.

Xu Chunliang walked over and patted Lu Qi on the shoulder: "You’re looking solid."

Lu Qi laughed, "People say I’m like dried beef jerky now."

Xu Chunliang glanced around, "I’m not the last?"

Lu Qi said, "My brother and Brother Fan haven’t arrived yet, and Li Zhong is working overtime, so he’ll be late."

He led them inside, and as soon as they sat down, Lu Ming and Fan Lidada arrived together.

Fan Lidada was carrying two bottles of wine.

Xu Chunliang said, "Two bottles aren’t enough, Brother Fan."

Fan Lidada replied, "I only have these two bottles of Mengjiu. I don’t earn my salary easily, so let’s drink conservatively. Besides, Lu Qi doesn’t drink anymore."

Lu Ming said, "No need for your wine, I said I would cover the bill."

Fan Lidada replied, "Little Qi traveled far to come back; this meal is on me."

Xu Chunliang said, "Quit drinking?"

Lu Qi laughed, "Planning to have a child, you know."

Xu Chunliang said, "You came back just for this?"

A group of people laughed, and Su Qing turned her gaze out of the window, pretending not to hear, as it was not unusual for a group of men together to joke around like this.

Lu Qi then shared with everyone the reason for his early return.

Xu Chunliang realized that Lu Qi’s purpose for inviting Su Qing was related to the old Carnival Plaza case he was currently overseeing.

After drinking three glasses of wine, Fan Lidada was the first to sigh and said, "Honestly, the Carnival Plaza incident has nothing to do with our Culture and Tourism Bureau. How long has the Bureau been established? One unlucky event after another."

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Chunliang, who responded, "Brother Fan, don’t look at me. In the past, when I was in the Culture and Tourism Bureau and unlucky things happened, you could blame me. Now I’ve gone to the Infectious Disease Hospital. If I cause trouble, it’s trouble for the Health Bureau. Your fire over there has nothing to do with me."

Fan Lidada said, "I didn’t say it was related to you. I’m just saying this Culture and Tourism Bureau has had a tough fate."

Lu Ming sighed and said, "The recent Carnival Plaza incident has made our department very busy. Rumors are everywhere in the age of social media, where anyone can post news online. There are all kinds of strange stories. Upper management requires us to closely monitor it to prevent any public opinion from forming. As for drinking, I dare not drink much today."

He looked at his brother, Lu Qi, feeling a bit sorry for him, "Didn’t I tell you that there’s not much going on with Dad here? I can handle it myself, no need for you to come back?"

Lu Qi said, "Listen to yourself. Dad belongs to both of us. I heard he’s sick, so I have to come back and check on him, don’t I? I didn’t expect leadership to be so considerate. When I applied to come back, they approved it and even let me return early. I thought it was care for me, but when I got here, they gave me such a tricky case."

Fan Lidada said, "Your leaders really know how to utilize people. If you solve this case, it restores past regrets. If you don’t solve it... Haha..."

Lu Ming said, "How can it not be solved? Isn’t everything clear? I’ve summarized the case truth by deleting small videos every day."

Lu Qi, with interest, said, "Brother, just tell us."

Lu Ming said, "I’ll just say it, but listen if you want. Don’t consider my words as court evidence, alright?"

The group laughed again.

Lu Ming continued, "Based on my current understanding, here’s how it goes: When Carnival Plaza was being built over ten years ago, the construction team discovered an ancient tomb at the plaza site. They should have reported it to the higher-ups, but due to certain selfish considerations, first, they didn’t want to delay the construction schedule, and second, they saw how precious the antique treasures inside the tomb were. In greed, several insiders conspired to hide the discovery."

Xu Chunliang thought it sounded credible; this should be the truth.

Lu Ming drank some tea to soothe his throat and continued, "Whenever stolen goods and uneven distribution exist, internal conflict arises. To keep that secret, some people inside conspired to eliminate Liang Zhigang."

Su Qing softly said, "How ruthless could they be?" She sighed because of Three Two Three and her experience. Without Pu Jian’s timely discovery, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Lu Qi said, "You’re less familiar with the criminals. Those who break the law can commit any despicable act. My brother’s analysis is quite reasonable. We’re still investigating and collecting evidence. We’ve contacted the Nanjiang police; Tang Jinglun wanted to leave the country for family visits but was stopped."

Xu Chunliang curiously asked, "Does this have to do with him as well?"

Lu Qi said, "At the time, Duan Yuanhong was directly responsible for the construction. However, this person has since immigrated, and we are seeking assistance from Interpol."

Xu Chunliang asked, "How many years might they be sentenced for something like this?"

Lu Qi said, "For profit, trafficking in national relics is prohibited. If the circumstances are severe, the sentence is less than five years of imprisonment or detention, along with fines. If particularly severe, it’s five to ten years of imprisonment plus fines. The exact punishment depends on the preciousness of the trafficked relics. Based on the currently gathered evidence, once verified, it is certainly more than five years."

Fan Lidada said, "Probably more than that. If it’s proven that Liang Zhigang was murdered, it’s a homicide."

Lu Qi nodded and turned his gaze to Su Qing: "According to Xu Xiaoyue’s statement, he intended to provide you evidence that night? You were kidnapped?"

Su Qing pursed her lips; she hadn’t fully explained the events to the police after the incident, partly to protect herself. Now that Three Two Three has confessed everything, it’s probably impossible to keep it hidden.

At this time, Li Zhong rushed in, apologizing repeatedly as he entered the door: "Sorry, I was working overtime today, got delayed. Just letting you know, I won’t be drinking."

Lu Qi made him tea. With tightening regulations, they had to report beforehand if drinking.

Li Zhong drank half a cup of tea, took a breath, and said, "Chunliang, thanks for the intelligence you provided. The relics submitted by Mrs. Zhang are immensely valuable. This afternoon, the expert group determined that those pieces are mostly national first-class relics. Among them, a Wuhou sword is particularly precious, which Mrs. Zhang has never seen. We estimate that it was taken by other criminal accomplices. A major case, definitely a major case!"