Chapter 1986 - Economic Crime Investigation Division
"Consider this: Salina is a trained professional. Previously, her foreign status limited her utilization—she's been relegated to consultant and instructor roles. This so-called General Guard Bureau position? Another glorified bodyguard assignment. Now she's supposedly being 'entrusted with heavy responsibility.' Can we honestly claim we're utilizing her skills optimally? Senator protection work wastes her talents egregiously. Proposing her for concurrent economic crime investigation duties would actually deploy her specialty. Besides, given the Senate's organizational tendencies, they might consolidate both functions—doesn't the American Secret Service operate as a Treasury Department law enforcement unit? We create a Treasury Secret Service, and the law enforcement authority becomes secure."
"You're forgetting someone," Zhang Xiaoqi observed archly. "If we don't list him as a candidate, won't he have... opinions?"
"Who?"
"National Police. Don't tell me you've genuinely forgotten?"
"Ah." Wang Qiyi understood immediately—his wife referenced Pan Jexin, currently hosting police training operations in Guangzhou. As Director of the National Police Criminal Investigation Division, Pan had purportedly resigned and joined the transmigration because of dissatisfaction with old timeline work conditions. Yet in Wang Qiyi's interactions with the man, he'd consistently detected considerable sophistication regarding economic matters. But what did that signify? Wang Qiyi felt his wife worried excessively. "We don't concern ourselves with his previous career. Even assuming he came from Economic Investigation originally—so what? After years in this new timeline without mentioning his former profession, he's obviously chosen to conceal that background. He won't suddenly emerge to sabotage our initiative."
"And Salina?" Wang Qiyi voiced his real concern. "Do you think she'll actually accept?"
"Difficult to predict. But I suspect compared to her current idle status in the General Guard Bureau, she'd prefer our Economic Crime Investigation Division—it closely resembles the IRS Criminal Investigation Division," Zhang Xiaoqi said.
"My worry is we're spreading ourselves too thin too quickly." Ai Zhixin remained skeptical the plan could gain approval from Soy Sauce constituents lacking any managerial awareness.
"Reasonably speaking," Wang Qiyi wrung his hands thoughtfully, "what we're proposing addresses functions no one currently performs—no question of usurping other departments' authority. Otherwise what—wait for disasters before panicking? Though actually..."
"Actually, you're not particularly confident either, correct?" Zhang Xiaoqi smiled while lifting her teacup. "I observed this during the Tax Farming debates. These people follow a pattern: I don't understand, won't learn, have no solutions, but I'll curse anyway. Can't beat you on technical details? They retreat to political high ground spouting grand principles. Can't prevail on principles? They simply act like hooligans, declaring I'm a Senator—if not to do whatever I want, why would I come to this broken place?"
"Donglin Faction behavior!" Ai Zhixin spat with disgust.
"So what do you propose? No alternative—this is reality." Wang Qiyi clearly disliked this conversational direction.
"I think our document reads too bureaucratically. The few Administration Council members who understand will be fine. The others? They'll oppose without even reading," Zhang Xiaoqi said.
"Could it be that we need to..."
"Back when I worked the hall, during festivals people would slip me shopping cards. A few hundred yuan—nothing excessive, not requesting illegal favors, just hoping for smooth tax reporting, overlooking minor flaws..." Zhang Xiaoqi rolled her eyes at her husband. "Did transmigration somehow make you not Chinese anymore?"
Running the Ministries—they all understood the euphemism. Senate structure centralized all power. Any project required application to "Central Authority." Consequently, since the Administration Council and Planning Academy's establishment, Ministry Running had become the inevitable path for Senators pursuing initiatives.
"This matter's considerably larger. Institutional establishment isn't a single department's concern," Wang Qiyi rubbed his chin. "We'd need to engage multiple departments, involving numerous Senators' positions and attitudes. This probably exceeds the scope of a few-hundred-yuan shopping card operation..."
The three understood the implications perfectly, but such discourse remained profoundly taboo. The Senate had only recently passed anticorruption measures at the Second Plenary Session—Cheka was operating overtime. Though the Political Security Bureau maintained plausible deniability, their black material archives were substantial. Naturally, everyone understood Political Security didn't conduct "Senator Reconnaissance" or compile "Profiles of Hundred Officials"—officially. But monitoring naturalized citizen cadres' "loyalty" constituted their primary function. When Senators made moves, nearby naturalized cadres inevitably got touched. Once investigations opened, Senators found themselves entangled.
"This matter," Ai Zhixin declared after prolonged silence, "I assess requires only modest shopping card investments. Excessive expenditure isn't justified."
Ai Zhixin's pronouncement set the tone. The Wang Qiyi couple said nothing further, privately sighing with relief.
Ten days later, Ai Zhixin returned from Lingao bearing the Administration Council's formal approval document. The plan had been modified extensively. Wang Qiyi had received preliminary details via Ai Zhixin's telegram. Fortunately, Cheng Dong had coordinated in advance with key Police and Legal heavyweights Ran Yao and Ma Jia, accommodating their modification requests on partial authorities while securing Wu De's support given their positive relationship. The initiative's alignment with strengthening social management appealed to Secretary of State Ma's preferences. The modified plan passed—barely.
However, the formal approval document narrowed the Economic Crime Investigation Division's authority scope to four key targets: disturbing economic management order, financial fraud, endangering tax collection and management, and obstructing normal company/enterprise management. Striking counterfeit currency manufacturing/trafficking and smuggling were revised to "cooperation with Police and Customs operations."
Regarding authority, the Investigation Division retained all powers pertaining to tax administrative investigation and tax criminal investigation, entitled to exercise comprehensive investigation rights. But mandatory powers shifted from the original "can summon suspects and witnesses, arrest criminal suspects" to "24-hour summoning and interrogation rights." Ran Yao and Ma Jia both adamantly insisted arrest authority could only belong to police. Acknowledging this timeline's backward communications and tight manpower, County/City level Police Bureaus where Investigation Divisions operated would temporarily issue serial-numbered blank arrest warrants for Division use as needed—but subsequent reporting to equivalent-level Police Bureaus was mandatory. When circumstances matured, the system would transition to case-by-case application protocols.
As for execution rights, the Investigation Division could decide searches, seizures, and sealing of involved houses, goods, transport vehicles, and other movable/immovable properties—but possessed no confiscation or auctioning disposal rights for movable or immovable properties.
Cases requiring judicial prosecution must be transferred to the Procuratorate. Considering the Procuratorate currently employed only Senator Shen Ruiming, the recommendation suggested Finance and Tax Bureau dispatch professional cadres for concurrent posts in the Procuratorate, specifically handling economic cases.
"Authority's somewhat narrowed. But we have limited personnel. Counterfeit currency and smuggling cases—we couldn't shoulder those burdens short-term anyway. Better serving consultant roles."
Regardless, the institution had finally been established. Ai Zhixin encouraged everyone to look forward, emphasizing work methodology. The plan's passage owed largely to their deliberately low-key positioning of the Economic Crime Investigation Division as an internal Finance and Tax Bureau secondary unit. As a department with independent personnel organization authority, per Third Plenary Senator Conference resolution details, the Finance and Tax Bureau only needed to file secondary unit establishment with the Administration Council. Cheng Dong's personal Administration Council appearance to request approval already demonstrated considerable importance—filing and approval differed substantially in efficacy when navigating future challenges. No need to antagonize the vast Soy Sauce constituency at General Assembly.
"These aren't the critical considerations. Administration Council approval today doesn't preclude future confrontations. The Administration Council ultimately answers to the Senator General Assembly. We'll continue briefing stakeholders. Premier Cheng instructed me before departure—wants us to expedite that Senator Foundation plan we discussed previously, letting those people understand backdoor immunity provisions were established early. Otherwise they'll perpetually feel a supervision organ targets them personally," Ai Zhixin said.
"Easy enough to discuss. What about the Director position?"
"I spoke with Ming Lang from the Organization Division. He says no position restrictions apply to Salina now. If she's willing, she can serve. He'll personally deliver relevant documents to Salina for confirmation."
"Do you think she'll accept?"
"Why wouldn't she?" Ai Zhixin asked with evident confidence. "Idle for years, now offered serious employment deploying her talents—how could she be unhappy?"
"Difficult to predict, my Director Ai." Wang Qiyi shook his head. "Why was she promoted to General Guard Bureau Director initially? Bluntly speaking—wasn't it because she's aligned with no faction? Everyone felt secure. She departs—who replaces her as guard? Even if she wants the transfer, those above may not consent."
Ai Zhixin paused, then said: "We'll address that later. Regardless, I've proposed the candidate. If they disagree, we'll find another. Someone must assume the position."
Indeed, Salina's appointment generated no follow-up after the report's submission. The Investigation Division temporarily fell under Wang Qiyi's leadership. The glorious responsibility for Guangzhou's Number One Tax Case landed squarely on his shoulders.
Though Wang Qiyi's expertise suggested this case probably wasn't excessively complex, his years of experience warned him matters wouldn't prove so simple.
Since antiquity, employing major cases to strike dissidents had been consistent methodology. The Senate naturally couldn't transcend such vulgarities. The Mao Family case had eliminated numerous prominent households inside and outside the city. Now the Noble Gathering case—from gathered intelligence—might implicate many gentry throughout Guangzhou.
Whether to simply conduct official business or pursue extensive implication depended on Grand Magistrate Liu and others' "Temple Calculations." Wang Qiyi deliberated extensively before deciding to meet Liu Xiang first, fully absorbing his perspective.
"Arrange meetings with Mayor Liu, also Director Lin and Chief Mu," he instructed the Office Secretary. "Oh, and Director Wu as well."
(End of Chapter)