by Xiaolong Qiu
‘For antiques abroad?’
‘Not necessarily in those big cities through which Chinese tourists have already swept time and again. But in antique shops of small cities, Zheng searches around for hidden gems, and brings them back to sell for a much higher price to the crazy rich Chinese clients.’
‘But how could he tell whether a piece is valuable or not?’
‘Good question. I’m too old to travel long distances like that, but he goes wherever I want him to. When he sees something of potential value, he sends back pictures for me to make the call. He speaks some English, and that helps too.’
It was turning into a lecture about the antique business, possibly much longer than anticipated. Huang was certainly an interesting character, and it was also a very interesting talk, but Chen was not sure how much of it was really related to the investigation.
‘Zheng must be a valuable helper.’
‘That’s why I let him go to her dinner party that night. It was an invaluable opportunity for him, I know. But I have no clue as to what really happened there that night. As a regular customer, I knew Min had grown quite dependent on Qing, her kitchen assistant. It may be not that easy to have someone equally capable as your help. So it was a setback to Min that she was leaving.’
‘She was upset, but so upset as to kill, I don’t know. But according to those pieces online, Qing was going to work for a man who had been a regular at her dinner table.’
‘You’re well informed, Director Chen. Yes, that’s Rong. But Rong knows better than to fall for a “little provincial sister” like Qing. It’s not unheard of, however, for an upstart like him to have a “sex maid”, serving him both at the table and in bed.
‘But what she might have dreamed of could be another story,’ Huang said, finishing the last spoonful of the noodle soup, and looking at his watch. ‘Sorry, I have to meet a client at nine thirty, Chen. That’s why I wanted you out for the early breakfast. I’ll ask around my associates about the value of old books. And I’ll let you know soon.’
‘Thank you so much, Master Huang. Next time should be my treat.’
The moment she got into the office in the morning, Jin started re-reading the ‘final version’ of the statement regarding the Judge Jiao scandal.
It was her first real job in this office and she wanted to do her best.
A draft of the office statement had been completed and emailed to Chen the previous night, and he had given his prompt approval without changing a single word of it.
Shortly after she sent the statement to the City Propaganda Ministry, the minister himself sent an email in response:
An excellent job, Comrade Jin. Put it online immediately. It will also appear in the city government e-newsletter. Don’t forget to include Director Chen’s signature at the end of it. And that along with a footnote: ‘Director Chen, while still on convalescent leave, looked it over and pointed out the inadmissibility of the evidence under normal circumstances – not just in China, but in other countries too. It’s an insightful observation from an experienced chief inspector.’
It was beyond her to say no to such a footnote. She thought about calling Chen, but she decided not to. There was nothing he could do about it, either. Chen’s signature as well as his observation about the issue of technicality had to be included, in the Party’s interests.
In all probability, the statement would come out in other newspapers too, highlighting his comments about the inadmissibility of the illegally obtained evidence in the Judge Jiao scandal, perhaps with some more added sentences.
Finally, she pressed the send button after enclosing Chen’s signature.
It was out of her hands. No use speculating about it anymore.
She looked up, her glance sweeping around the unchanging view of the large yet solitary office. In the eyes of her relatives and friends, it was an unbelievable stroke of luck for her to land a city government job with excellent pay, and with unbelievable benefits and perks as well. Her parents had spared no effort pushing through on their connections for her.
But she was wondering whether it was truly such a good job for her. As whispered in the circle, the office itself had been set up as a temporary arrangement of convenience for the ex-inspector. Nothing but a show of social and political stability: the good, honest cop Chen still in a high-ranking position, albeit a different one. Those interpretations she had read online, even though some of them were blocked just minutes after their appearance, appeared to be even more disturbing. In fact, he had come to the office only once for a short visit – less than ten minutes. From day one, she had been taking care of the boring routine work all by herself.
And there was something else inexplicable about the office. For its ‘official status’, there should be a number of people working there, at least seven or eight, but she was the only one. A chauffeur, who had been officially assigned for Chen, never appeared.
Things were not too difficult for her, though. Her job consisted of receiving the reports delivered to the office, classifying them, putting them chronologically in a bracket, and for those possibly important ones, forwarding them to Chen’s residence. Otherwise, she had the large but deserted office to herself.
With the office statement done, she was supposed to sit there, drinking tea or coffee, relaxing and WeChatting with her friends.
But what about the future of the office? If things she had heard about Chen’s troubles were true, the office would be soon gone, along with Chen.
Could the existence of the office have meant something more than a political show enacted just for the moment? It might be too early for a novice like her to have anything taken for granted. But she believed she could be fairly sure about one thing. While a temporary job for him, it was a really important one for her. It would be a disaster for her – and more for her parents – if the office was gone along with her job.
Things seemed to have changed, however, with her visit to Chen in his apartment. It was the first time that she’d gone to talk to him, person to person, and not at all in a business-like way. Behind the shell of political correctness, she sensed a subtle touch of cynical parody in his talk, as if playing the one and same record, mechanically, from the Shanghai People Radio Station in her company.
The phone suddenly started ringing. The number showed it as one from the same government office building. About the office statement regarding the Judge Jiao scandal, she supposed.
However, it was from Ma Yuan, Chief of Staff for the city government, whose office was located on the top floor of the building.
‘Can you come up to my office, Jin?’
‘Anything wrong with the statement, Chief Ma?’
‘No, I would just like to talk to you.’
‘But I’m waiting for the possible feedback for the office statement. I’m all alone in the office, you know, for the moment.’
‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll come down then.’
Ma was a man of real power and connections. It was an absolute surprise that he would choose to come down to her.
In less than five minutes, Ma strode into her office without knocking at the door, and he moved directly to the point.
‘You’ve done an excellent job with that office statement. We’ve looked into your file, Jin. You’re young, and with a college degree, and with some publications in magazines, too. You’ll have a promising future in the system. You have discussed with Director Chen about the statement, haven’t you?’
‘Yes. After I tried to reach him several times without success, I went to his apartment yesterday afternoon because of the deadline. And after listening to my account of the Judge Jiao scandal, he made a point about the inadmissibility of the evidence,’ she said guardedly, trying to respond in a proper way in spite of her confusion. ‘He’s truly experienced. The statement was done with his suggestions and approval.’
‘What else did he say to you?’ Ma added in a hurry, ‘Make no mistake about it. We all know he’s a capable police o
fficer. But we have to know more. The office is new to him, and to the city government too, and we want to make sure that it plays its important role in today’s society.’
‘We did not talk that much – apart from the wording of the statement. Oh, he’s been reading a Judge Dee novel in English—’
‘A Judge Dee novel – why?’
‘He said that he was reading by way of preparation for the new position. He believed that the knowledge about the judicial system in traditional Chinese society may be helpful to today’s reform.’
‘He is so serious! Director Chen has overworked himself, you know. And he can be a little eccentric,’ he said, pointing a finger at his head, ‘right there. That’s why he’d better stay on convalescent leave for the moment. A bit of eccentricity is no big deal for an ordinary man, but he is one of extraordinary caliber. We have to look out, and that’s also the opinion of a leading comrade in Beijing.’
She was more than alarmed, wondering whether she had said too much about Chen, but she had to go on.
‘Thank you so much for telling me all this, Director Ma. Director Chen looked rather tired, I think. He appeared to have not been taking good care of himself, skipping meals, drinking too much coffee, and with a slight twitching under his right eye, but other than that, I could not see anything seriously wrong with him. Of course I will pay more attention, and I’ll report to you about anything noticed.’
After Ma left the office, she tried to sort out her entangled thoughts. Despite the recognition of ‘an excellent job’, she felt bad. She could have said that she was incapable of reaching him, and that the office statement had been done through an exchange of emails. Now, she had to watch over her ‘eccentric boss’ for the Party government.
But it was so unfair to the ex-inspector. She had heard a lot about him even before she got the office job. Chen appeared to be a legendary officer of integrity with several successful investigations to his credit. In a one-Party system riddled with corruption, he was seen as one of the few conscientious cops still left working there – like the endangered species, as in a joke enjoyed by netizens.
As luck would have it, she had been assigned to a job working under him in the new office. That was a career she had never dreamed of, but she had told others with a touch of pride about her working for ‘Inspector Chen’.
But it was turning into a situation that was becoming overwhelming for her. Instead of working for Chen, she was now supposed to work for the people above Chen – and possibly against him too. She had not been given this position for nothing. It was for the sake of keeping the ex-inspector under surveillance for the city government – like one of the numerous cameras installed everywhere in the city. To keep her job, she had no choice but to do whatever the Party authorities wanted her to. She was not in a position to say no.
Yet if she succeeded in gathering the information Director Ma wanted about Chen, and consequently having Chen eliminated, the office itself would disappear – along with her job in it.
It did not mean, however, that she had to do exactly as requested by Ma, she tried to reassure herself. She would still report dutifully to Ma, yet choosing carefully as to what was included in the report or not.
Should she try to alert Chen? It was a tough situation for him, and a tough decision for her. But he was probably well aware of it, much more than she could tell.
Instead of jumping to a decision, she started thinking about what else she could do for him. With the office statement delivered, there seemed to be little else for her to do.
It was then she thought of his comments about the Min case again, which involved another judge with a possible conflict of interest. Chen seemed to have brought it up offhandedly, but she wondered what he was really up to. His comments made her think that he could have been following cases in secret, like in those stories she had heard about the tireless chief inspector.
If so, was what he had said about the Min case meant as a clue for her?
Whatever her enigmatic boss might have up his sleeve, the Min case was a complicated one. At least she could try to gather more information about it.
And she was just learning the ropes, she told herself, doing some preparatory research for her job. It would be justifiable for her to take a look into a much-talked-about case – in line with her responsibility at the Judicial System Reform Office. She might start by doing a background check on the Min case. It mattered not whether Chen had specifically asked her to do so or not.
And it might not be too difficult for her to develop a profile about Min in her own way. Preferably in a way that was not easy for the ex-inspector to follow at the moment. He was supposed to stay on convalescent leave, not move around actively like an inspector.
She took out an iPad, clicked on a VPN, a ‘wall-climbing’ app she often resorted to like other young people, and focused on the politically sensitive aspects of the Min case. She was not sure whether Chen had access to those websites.
Immediately, she found the speculations about the case had escalated into a hurricane on the Internet. In a fairly long article about Min’s shikumen house, there was a quite detailed description of the place, along with its location and surroundings.
The neighborhood turned out to be walking distance from the office. No more than fifteen to twenty minutes away. She took a look at her watch.
She could take an earlier lunch break. A longer one if necessary.
Shortly after nine, Chen was stepping out of a taxi at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences on Central Huaihai Road, contemplating an open ‘mountain road’ for himself by paying a visit to Professor Yao there.
The plan had been made after his getting the phone call from Ling last night, and after re-reading an old book about the art of war titled The Thirty-Six Stratagems.
In the early days of the Han dynasty, as recorded in The Thirty-Six Stratagems, General Xin had to lead his troops out of Hanzhong, but aware of his enemy staying there on high alert, ready to strike with superior force the moment General Xin’s soldiers came in sight, he made a show of building a mountain road out of Hanzhong in the open, but at the same time he constructed a path through Chenchang in secret, thus taking the enemy by surprise. It worked out as one of the most successful tactics, later called ‘building a mountain road in the open to surprise a stronghold through a secret mountain pass’.
Since those people who kept Chen under surveillance knew about his contact with Professor Yao, his visit would be watched and reported.
He had been to the academy many times before. The Literature Institute there had recently held a forum about modern Chinese poetry and had invited Chen as the keynote speaker. Earlier, he had also had a collection of classical Chinese poetry translations published by the SASS Press.
In the morning light, he found himself more inclined toward the scenario that the phone conversation with Yao had been tapped because of him, as an ex-inspector. A bookish intellectual, Yao had said things unpleasant to some officials, but nothing seriously threatening to the Party authorities.
Not so with the ex-inspector.
So his talk to Professor Yao about a Judge Dee project could cause a distraction to those watching over him closely in the dark. His concentration on a historical figure in the Tang dynasty instead of any investigation at the present might serve as a fictional mountain road.
But Professor Yao was not in his office that morning. Chen approached the head of the Law Institute instead, a middle-aged associate professor surnamed Hou. Director Hou received him with the due respect.
‘You must have heard of my new position, Director Hou,’ Chen said with a smile. ‘I’m still on convalescent leave, but I cannot afford to sit at home doing nothing all day long. It’s a new responsibility for me. A cop all these years without having done any systematic study of our judicial system, I have to get myself prepared for the job. And a visit to your institute is like making a short cut for me.’
‘You are being so modest, Director Che
n.’
From the puzzled expression on his face, Chen guessed that Hou had heard stories about his trouble. In terms of the Party cadre rank, however, Chen’s was higher. Not to mention the possibility of his finding his way back into the Party’s favor.
‘What can we do for you at our institute?’
‘Well, I would like to spend some time in your library. It’s easier to browse than the Shanghai Library, I’ve heard, with so many law books on open shelves. It’s a credit to your institute.’
‘Thank you, Director Chen. It’s true that our library is known for its well-arranged categories for research. You can take out any books you want.’
‘In preparation for the new job, I think I’m going to write a paper about Judge Dee.’
‘An academic paper about Judge Dee in the Tang dynasty?’ Director Hou did not try to hide his astonishment.
‘Yes, the very Judge Dee. Professor Yao is known for his expertise on the history of China’s judicial system. So I would like very much to consult him about it, but he’s not in his office this morning.’
‘Professor Yao’s away at a conference in Guangxi, but he has published quite a number of academic works. I’m not sure if any of them are related to Judge Dee, but they are quite possibly related to the Tang period. They are all kept here in the archive of his academic achievement.’
‘That’s fantastic! Can you do me a favor and make a list of those papers related to the Tang period? When Professor Yao comes back, I will discuss more with him. Judge Dee was a representative of the judicial system in ancient China. So a paper about the legendary figure may also touch on the urgency with which we need to push forward the reform today.’
‘You always have your original perspective, Chief Inspector Chen – sorry, Director Chen.’
‘No, you don’t have to say sorry about that. I’m having a hard time getting myself adjusted to the new position. So I have to do as much research as possible, and to consult with experts like Professor Yao.’
