Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 327 The Passbook of Power

Geng Dongqing pretended to suddenly realize something: "As expected, I couldn't escape Mayor Wen's discerning eye! I knew something felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it."

Your explanation was truly enlightening! It seems we were just laymen watching the show.

Bi Yuan is also a self-taught actor, and his face appropriately displays an expression of embarrassment and admiration:

"Mayor Wen, please excuse my foolishness! I knew it; how could I possibly have such an easy opportunity to fall from the sky?"

However, Mayor Wen, now that you mention it, the imitation is of a very high standard!

Look at the brushwork and the coloring; even if it's an imitation, it still shows genuine skill.

I've heard that some collectors now specialize in collecting these high-quality replicas, claiming they also have artistic and market value.

Sometimes, when they're sent to a reputable auction house, they can fetch a good price if someone knows their stuff, making it a unique form of collecting.

Wen Changcheng smiled and said, "The value of a work of art is a matter of opinion."

Those you love are priceless; those you don't love are worthless.

As for auctions, I've heard they're murky and have many rules.

Without reliable channels and knowledgeable people to operate them, even good things can be wasted.

Bi Yuan quickly chimed in, "Mayor Wen is absolutely right! The auction business is a deep and murky place; without a reliable mentor, it's easy to suffer losses."

The owner of Jiangzhou Yajixuan Auction House is a long-time friend of mine; he's a very reliable person.

He sometimes takes on unique pieces, but whose authenticity is questionable, or even high-quality replicas. As long as the item itself has value, they can find buyers and offer a suitable price.

Wen Changcheng was silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Since it's your kind gesture, I'll keep this high-quality replica with me for now. Sometimes looking at it helps me calm down."

As for the auction house, we'll talk about that later. If needed, I'll trouble Mr. Bi to make an introduction.

The weight on Geng Dongqing's heart was finally lifted.

Wen Changcheng has essentially accepted it, and tacitly approved the possibility of auctioning off high-quality replicas later.

When leaders speak, they only touch upon the subject and don't go into too much detail.

They chatted for another ten minutes or so, mainly Geng Dongqing reporting on Qingshan County's work plans for the new year, with Wen Changcheng occasionally giving instructions.

Seeing that it was getting late, Geng Dongqing and Bi Yuan tactfully got up to say goodbye.

Wen Changcheng politely saw the two to the door and instructed them, "Be careful on the road. Dongqing, the work in Qingshan County must be carried out steadily and surely, especially the key tasks after the start of the year, you must pay close attention to them."

Wen Changcheng quickly replied, "Please rest assured, Mayor Wen, I will definitely carry out your instructions!"

Wen Changcheng stood at the door, watching Geng Dongqing and Bi Yuan's figures disappear around the corner of the community's green belt before slowly turning around and closing the door.

The wife came out of the inner room, glanced at the scroll on the coffee table, and asked softly, "Did they send this? Another painting or calligraphy?"

"Besides calligraphy and paintings, what else would you dare to collect? These past few years, things have been under too much scrutiny."

"Better safe than sorry. Changcheng, you're still young and have a bright future ahead of you. It's never a bad thing to be cautious in everything you do."

Although Wen Changcheng's wife was not very beautiful and could not compare to Li Li's beauty, she was still dignified and elegant.

She is a middle school teacher who teaches English. The couple has a son, but he wasn't academically inclined and didn't even take the college entrance exam. They sent him abroad to study before the new year.

Wen Changcheng dismissed it, saying, "It's just a copy, worth only ten thousand yuan on the market. I think the brushwork is acceptable. Keeping it for appreciation won't hurt."

The person who gave me the calligraphy and painting knows how to do things reasonably.

The wife knew that her husband wasn't without greed, he was just more discreet about it.

This cannot be blamed on the husband; compared to officials of the same rank, he is definitely considered honest and incorruptible.

Wen Changcheng hugged his wife and said, "Honey, I have something to discuss with you today."

"A divorce?" His wife had already guessed.

"Wife, there's a type of marital relationship called sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams. Although we're bound by a marriage certificate, we're husband and wife in name only, not in reality. I don't need to explain this further."

There is another special type of marital relationship where the couple is divorced, but the divorce is for a specific purpose; in other words, it is a sham divorce.

For example, some people choose to get a fake divorce in order to enjoy the first-home mortgage policy.

Many CEOs of listed companies also engage in technical divorces with their spouses.

"Changcheng, just say what you want to say."

"Isn't my son studying abroad? He probably won't come back to China after he graduates from university."

We also need to have a backup plan, in case something happens in China, we can settle abroad.

Of course I can't leave now, and it's not time for me to leave yet.

However, you can leave first. Firstly, it's a gradual withdrawal, and secondly, it's also a way to accompany your spouse abroad for their studies.

"But, Changcheng, if I divorce you, you will be a completely corrupt official with family members abroad."

Now you know that not only are officials with family members residing abroad ineligible for promotion, but they are also likely to be removed from key positions.

"Haha." Wen Changcheng chuckled dryly. "I know the policies better than you do. If I divorce you and marry someone else, I'll have a spouse, and I won't be considered a 'naked official' anymore."

"Changcheng, you've got a brilliant plan. You've managed to get rid of this old hag and marry a beautiful new wife."

Although his wife said that, she was not angry.

She had long heard of Wen Changcheng's womanizing and scandalous affairs, and was no longer surprised by them.

Men are all animals that think with their lower bodies.

Her heart is only for her son, and she longs to go abroad to be with him and experience a different way of life.

But settling abroad requires a lot of money.

We can only pin our hopes on Wen Changcheng.

But Wen Changcheng was very cautious and did not charge money indiscriminately.

In fact, if Wen Changcheng were a little bolder, earning tens of millions a year would be too easy for him.

After all, he is the mayor of a prefecture-level city with considerable power.

But caution is not a bad thing.

Accepting any kind of money will likely result in losing both money and people.

There are countless examples of this; she has many around her.

Many of Wen Changcheng's colleagues and superiors are now using sewing machines.

Wen Changcheng chuckled awkwardly, "Wife, that's not how it is. You don't need to hide anything from me when I'm talking to you. I'm just using this as an excuse to escape."

"Shedding its skin like a cicada?"

"Don't you understand? Send your son abroad first, then send you away."

If I divorce you and marry someone else, I won't be a "naked official" (an official whose family members have emigrated abroad).

Do you think I would truly love another woman?

That was all just playing around, or rather, just for fun.

What I care about most is you and our son.

A wife is always the best, and a son is always the best.

Wen Changcheng's words were perfectly worded, both reassuring his wife and revealing his true intentions.

After a long silence, the wife sighed softly, "I understand what you mean. For our son's sake, and for our future, I agree. You can arrange the paperwork."

"Once the Lunar New Year is over, let's find a time to go through the divorce proceedings."

We need to report to the organization when we get divorced or married.

I will find a way to transfer my assets abroad step by step.

I need to gradually monetize the calligraphy and paintings in my home.

"Changcheng, those two just gave us high-quality fakes. You said they're only worth around ten thousand yuan. Even if you sold them for twenty thousand, it wouldn't be much."

Wen Changcheng smiled and said, "This one is a high-quality replica, not worth much. But I have more than just this one here."

He led his wife into the study, turned on a tablet, brought up an encrypted photo album, and pointed it out to her.

His wife looked at it carefully. Inside were photos of more than a dozen paintings and calligraphy works, including scrolls and album leaves. Most of them looked old and mottled, and there were simple text descriptions next to them, such as "Anonymous landscape painting from the Qing Dynasty", "Imitation of Shen Zhou's flower and bird paintings from the Ming Dynasty", and "Couplet by a famous artist from the Republic of China".

"Wife, as you know, I have a passion for calligraphy and painting. It's both a hobby and a special skill."

I don't accept calligraphy or paintings as gifts unless they are of very low value.

Because paintings and calligraphy by celebrities usually start at hundreds of thousands or millions of yuan, the risk is too great.

But counterfeit calligraphy and paintings are different; at most, they're only worth tens of thousands of yuan.

Even if the disciplinary committee investigates, at most it will be considered a violation of discipline, resulting in a disciplinary action; the risk is manageable.

"But even if you sell these fake paintings and calligraphy, you won't get much money. Compared to your son's expenses abroad, it's like a drop in the ocean."

Wen Changcheng smiled and said, "You don't understand the mystery behind this."

He clicked on one of the pictures labeled "Late Qing Dynasty Imitation of Shi Tao's Landscape Painting," and said, "Both the giver and the receiver knew perfectly well that it was a fake."

But the key is that it can sell genuine products at the price in specific places.

This painting sold for 2.3 million.

He turned off the tablet and looked at his wife: "Like this one that was delivered today."

Now, it's just a high-quality reproduction worth about ten thousand yuan in my possession. It's my personal hobby, and even if the disciplinary committee came, they wouldn't be able to find any major fault with it.

But after a while, I want to get rid of it and make some money. When I send it to the designated auction house, the price it fetches is beyond my control.

Maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, or even several million.

This money will be transferred cleanly to the designated account after deducting commissions and taxes through a legal auction process. It could be for an overseas art fund or as consulting fees for an offshore company.

The wife understood; this was a seemingly foolproof money laundering method.

Counterfeits are a safety net, auctions are a means of laundering, and power is the fundamental driving force that makes all of this possible.

"Changcheng, are all these calligraphy and paintings future money?"

Wen Changcheng nodded: "Yes, whether it's genuine or not is not important. What's important is that I have power."

For example, as long as I am still in power, or if my power increases further, I can sell that fake painting and calligraphy I gave you today for five million or even ten million, and naturally someone will happily pay for it.

However, if I lose real power, these fake paintings and calligraphy are just fake paintings and calligraphy, worth at most ten thousand yuan.

What I'm auctioning off isn't calligraphy and paintings, but the power I hold.

"So, Changcheng, these paintings and calligraphy are your bankbook for power? You can withdraw money whenever you want?"

"That's one way to understand it. And it's safer than a passbook."

The passbook has transaction history and records.

These paintings are paintings today, but money tomorrow.

The art transactions, separated by an auction house, are very clean.

Even if someone investigates, at most they'll find that some unknown collector bought the forgery at a high price. It's just a willing buyer and a willing seller, a market transaction.

He could say he misjudged the situation, or that he simply liked it.

Besides, do you think I'd be foolish enough to personally deliver the calligraphy and paintings to the auction house? And have the money deposited into my personal bank account?