bookbashuk Chapter 279 Stories of Cultural Relics
Chapter 279 Stories of Cultural Relics
"I think so too!"
I nodded. If it were just an ordinary person who made a fortune, Chen Dongang wouldn't have called him personally, nor would he have been so wary of him and unwilling to say much. Behind Li Pingchuan, there might just be some old guys.
After much analysis, my brother and I decided to deal with things as they come, to take a normal approach, and to resolve what we can, but not to force ourselves to do something we can't.
"By the way, Mr. Chen mentioned the major cultural relic theft case in Chengde in 02. This is well-documented. Let's check it out first!" Fatty Lin said.
"Okay!" I nodded.
The major case in 02 was sensational, and we quickly found out the cause and effect.
The case came to light when an expert from the Cultural Heritage Bureau visited Hong Kong Island and attended a Christie's auction during his visit.
During the meeting, the expert discovered that there was a label on the base of one of the artifacts, and this label was a mark of artifacts exclusively owned by the Palace Museum.
As a result, the matter was overlooked.
Following the clues, the investigation led to the director of the security department of the Chengde Outer Eight Temples Cultural Relics Management Office.
It was eventually discovered that the director of the Foreign Affairs Department had resold more than 200 cultural relics, and Li Pingchuan was one of the buyers.
Interestingly, Li Pingchuan's autobiographical book was also published in that year.
Ultimately, the director of the Foreign Security Department was sentenced to death, while Li Pingchuan was acquitted because he was unaware of the origin of the cultural relics.
If there's nothing going on here, who would believe it!
Cultural relics have always been a major disaster area, or rather, a form of compensation.
Back then, some of the older employees didn't want to retire, and this was true from the head office to the local branches.
But that's the policy, so we have to withdraw whether we want to or not.
Because of their long history, appropriate compensation is necessary, and cultural relics are one of the items to be compensated.
In addition, there are some shameless old men who, relying on their status, seize and plunder by trickery and force.
As the economy develops, these cultural relics are becoming more and more valuable, and how to monetize them has become a problem. The authorities can't just watch these old comrades and colleagues sell them privately!
If this happens, everyone will lose face.
Chen Dongang's Dejia Auction was, to some extent, aimed at resolving this historical issue.
As a result, Chen Dongang built up a vast network of connections.
Chen Dongang was a shrewd man. To vouch for himself and secure his future, he married that woman.
Marrying that woman would prove that he had no ambition to climb the social ladder.
If it had been Third Master who did this, he probably would have been in trouble long ago.
More than a decade later, a lot of sons-in-law and secretaries got into trouble, but Chen Dongang was the only one who didn't. This was partly because he had a wide network of connections, partly because of his wife, and most importantly because he was sensible and knew the rules.
"You madman, I'm pretty sure now that Li Pingchuan is just a front man. To confirm this, I need to make a phone call!"
After investigating the major case in Chengde in 02, Fatty Lin thought for a moment and said.
"Who are you calling?" I asked.
"Deng Wenwen!" Fatty Lin smiled and uttered three words.
"Oh my god, how could I forget about her!" I clapped my hands. When it comes to who knows the most about the situation abroad, Deng Wenwen is the best.
Li Pingchuan has always claimed that he made his fortune by inheriting the estate of an American actress. When it comes to understanding the American entertainment industry, among all the people we know, there is really no one who can surpass Deng Wenwen.
"Right!"
Lin Pangzi laughed as he took out his phone and called Deng Wenwen.
"Hey, isn't this Master Lin, the one who gave the Liu family a sound thrashing? What brings you to call me?"
After the call connected, Deng Wenwen's voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, came through.
"Sister Wenwen, what are you saying? No matter how awesome I am, I'm still your brother!" Fatty Lin said.
"Don't use the same tactics you used on Xiao Jinyu on me. Tell me, what do you want?" Deng Wenwen said with a smile.
"Sister Wenwen, I want to ask you about someone. Do you know Li Pingchuan?"
After being exposed, Fatty Lin was not angry and continued to grin.
"Why are you asking him?" Deng Wenwen asked.
"It's nothing, he just encountered some evil things and is coming to see me for treatment in a couple of days. I'm afraid he won't tell the truth, and then we two brothers will have to bear the consequences!" Fatty Lin said.
"What do you want to know?" Deng Wenwen asked.
"Is it true that Li Pingchuan claims to have inherited the estate of an American actress?" Fatty Lin asked.
"Do you think it's true?" Deng Wenwen asked in return.
"I don't think it's very real!" said Fatty Lin.
"Not bad, your intuition was right!" Deng Wenwen said.
"Sister Wenwen, how much do you know about his situation?" Fatty Lin asked.
"Let me put it this way, everything he claims to the public is carefully packaged!"
Deng Wenwen chuckled and said, "Xiao Lin, if there really were an old lady with billions of dollars in assets but no children, do you think Li Pingchuan would be the one to inherit her fortune?"
"Even if it were their turn, would America's wolves and tigers just stand by and watch? With their power, they have countless ways to make Li Pingchuan vanish into thin air!"
"Let alone Li Pingchuan, even with my power, it would be impossible for me to inherit such a large sum of money!"
"So, it's all a scam?" Fatty Lin said.
"It was a scam from the start!" Deng Wenwen snorted and said, "According to Li Pingchuan's public statements, he returned to China in the 1990s with over 10 billion yuan. How much foreign exchange reserves did Dongda University have back then? How did he manage to bring back so much money?"
"This isn't something you can just turn with a flick of a finger!"
"Besides, given America's heavy inheritance tax, the actress Li Pingchuan mentioned would have inherited twice as much as him. Even now, I've never heard of any Hollywood actress having that much money, let alone more than a decade ago!"
"Too!"
Fatty Lin smacked his lips and nodded.
"Xiao Lin, there are quite a few people like Li Pingchuan in the country. The most representative one is that woman who married Tang Sanzang and is hailed as having truly eaten Tang Sanzang's flesh!"
Deng Wenwen said.
"Sister Wenwen, do you mean that the person who made his fortune also did so by reselling cultural relics?" Fatty Lin asked.
What do you think?
Deng Wenwen snorted.
After a moment, Deng Wenwen said again, "Xiao Lin, let me tell you a story, and you'll understand some things!"
"Sister Wenwen, I'm listening, please speak!"
"I'm fat," Lin said with a smile.
"During that special period, many of the 'Four Olds' were confiscated, but they weren't destroyed. Instead, they were piled up in some warehouses like junk!" Deng Wenwen said slowly and deliberately.
"Over time, these so-called Four Olds were forgotten!"
"Later, after that special period, those 'Four Olds' were left unclaimed, as if they had been forgotten!"
"Has it truly been forgotten?"