Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 316 The Governor's Inner Journey

"What's this?!"

"Can anyone tell me what this is?!"

Inside the governor's mansion, the governor pointed at the television and roared.
"A billionaire led the investigation and arrested three ICAC commissioners. The case also involves another billionaire."

"Most importantly, the three commissioners embezzled a staggering eight figures?"

"Is this some kind of fantasy?!"

Opposite the Governor are the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Secretary for Justice, the Financial Secretary, and the Security Bureau.

Is this kind of news allowed to be reported?

What will happen to the image of people from Chongqing?

"What should we do with the image of the people of Chongqing that we have worked so hard to build?"

The three departments and one bureau remained silent.

The governor was even angrier:

"talk!"

“I called you over here to give me advice, not to have you mute.”

The governor slammed his walking stick down hard.

The Department of Justice, the Financial Secretary, and the Security Bureau are all watching the Chief Secretary for Administration, which means you're the boss, so hurry up and step forward.

The Chief Secretary for Administration cursed under his breath. "So, you only remember me now?"

However, according to the structure of the Governor's Office, his political affairs officer is indeed the boss.

"Sir, this was an accident."

The governor angrily said:

"Accident?"

"Embezzled eight figures! Was this an accident?"

The Administrative Secretary made a firm decision:
"Your Excellency, you don't know about this case. Chen still gave us face."

The governor laughed in exasperation:
"You mean Chen gave us face?"

“He said in front of all the citizens of Hong Kong that the commissioner I selected had embezzled eight figures, ruining the image of the people of Hong Kong. And you still say he gave me face?”

"So what if he doesn't give me face?"

The Chief Secretary for Administration smiled wryly:

"Chen really saved us face."

"If he really wanted to reveal the true nature of the people of Chongqing, things wouldn't be like this now."

The governor looked at him suspiciously:
"Why do you say that?"

The Chief Secretary for Administration said expressionlessly:

"After the security bureau learned about this case, they notified me immediately..."

The governor was so angry he laughed:

"I thought this was a surprise attack by Chen, but I didn't expect you to be among the first officials to know?"

"You didn't even consider suppressing this case, and actually gave Chen the green light?"

Do you know how many people from Chongqing are in Hong Kong?

"If we don't cultivate an image of fairness and integrity in Chongqing, how can we govern these six million people?"

Have you all given this a serious thought?

The Chief Secretary for Administration remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"This case cannot be suppressed!"

The governor waved his hand vigorously:

"In Hong Kong, as long as we, the people of Chongqing, are united, what can't we suppress?"

"This is dereliction of duty!"

The Administrative Secretary was at a loss for words.

The governor was even more furious:

"Speak up, why are you mute?"

The governor was furious; none of them were any peace of mind.

I'm thirsty after talking so much.

Have a cup of coffee to relax!

The Chief Secretary for Administration thought to himself, "If you keep stopping me, what am I supposed to say?"

The first level of officialdom crushes people to death.

The governor kept urging him to speak, so he had no choice but to.

"Chen did not disclose the amount of money involved in this case."

"Preliminary statistics..."

"The accounts of these three specialists alone contain more than 80 million Hong Kong dollars!"

puff!
The Duty Officer spat out his coffee, spraying it all over the Secretary for Administration's face.

"How...how much?" The governor was utterly shocked.

The administrative secretary hurriedly wiped the coffee, inwardly cursing his bad luck. He still had to answer his superior's question.

"More than 80 million Hong Kong dollars."

"This is only a preliminary statistic."

The governor's face turned red, and he wished he could tear William and the other two to pieces!

Eighty million Hong Kong dollars!

That's almost a hundred million!
That guy is incredibly greedy.

I didn't even greedily take that much.

So he roared,
"With so much embezzled, it's even more unacceptable to disclose it."

"You should have suppressed it immediately."

The smile on the Chief Secretary's face froze. Good grief, you still want to suppress me?

Can this be suppressed?
The Chief Secretary for Administration quickly glanced at the Security Bureau in acknowledgment.

The security chief stepped forward with a stiff upper lip: "Sir, we cannot suppress it."

The governor spat out:

Are you all stupid?

"If Chan Kwok-chung can investigate the Independent Commission Against Corruption this time, he can investigate the Governor's Mansion next time."

"Do you dare say you're cleaner than William and his two companions?"

"Are you guys going to dig up the story of 'Against the Current'?"

The security bureau was dumbfounded.

No, this is William's business, why are you dragging me into it?

The Chief Secretary for Administration quickly replied:

"Don't just stand there, tell me why this case can't be suppressed."

The security chief coughed once before saying:
"The reason is actually quite simple."

"Chen was not originally with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)."

“He is now a police superintendent, and he usually sits in the office. He is basically no longer on the front line.”

The governor said angrily:

"Then why is he at the forefront again?"

The security bureau smiled wryly:
"Someone invited Chen."

The governor frowned and said:
"Who would hire him? Chen is a billionaire; he's just a figurehead at the police station. Who could possibly sway him?"

The Security Bureau shrugged:

"James!"

The governor was taken aback and looked at him suspiciously:
"James came to Hong Kong on orders from the Fog City."

"He is better at protecting the reputation of Chongqing."

Are you sure you're not talking nonsense?

The security bureau is fed up. If you're so unhappy, why don't you just ask James directly? Why bother making trouble for my subordinate?
Despite his inner grumbling, he still had to answer his superior's question.

"This is really a misunderstanding."

"The incident began when someone was suspected of entering the office of the Jardine Matheson's Grand Manager at the west gate."

“William investigated and only found one bugging device.”

"So he called Chen Guozhong."

"Because Chen Guozhong had saved his life several times before, and Chen Guozhong's promotion was also partly due to his efforts, the two of them had a little friendship."

"So he asked Chen Guozhong to handle this case."

"If James hadn't spoken up, even Chen Guozhong wouldn't have been able to get things done."

“This is cross-jurisdictional law enforcement, and William has that authority.”

The governor was completely numb.

"What? There's something to do with Simon here?"

The three departments and one bureau were also dumbfounded:
No, so you didn't watch TV properly at all?
Didn't Chan Kwok-chung explicitly state that the investigation into Simon's case led to the arrest of three ICAC officers?

The security bureau smiled wryly:
“Simon is the head of Jardine Matheson, and someone actually dared to install a bugging device in his office. This is no small matter.”

"To put it bluntly, if they dared to install a bug on Ximen, wouldn't everyone in the Governor's Mansion, including yourself, also dare to do the same?"

The governor's face immediately darkened.

That's right, that's the logic.

Some people say, "This is the governor!"

Does Ximen even deserve to be compared to the Governor?

According to Western logic, the Dude is really not worthy of being compared to Simon.

No other reason than that Simon is a billionaire!
That alone is something the Governor can't compare to.

So here's the question: if they look down on billionaires, would the Dude and his ilk even give them a second glance?
The governor gritted his teeth and said:
"Security Bureau, have a small team thoroughly inspect the Governor's mansion inside and out."

He was scared!

The security bureau obediently nodded in agreement:
"I guess, this is just my guess... James asked Chen to investigate the case because he was afraid that his background wasn't strong enough."

"Anyone who dares to install a listening device in the office of the head of Jardine Matheson, the top of the four major foreign trading companies, is definitely not an ordinary person."

“Chen doesn’t have that concern.”

"He is a billionaire and a notorious ruthless detective in Hong Kong."

“Before he rose to prominence, he faced almost every type of criminal.”

"Chen, there is no pressure at all."

The governor understood, but he didn't understand: "The investigation has reached the Independent Commission Against Corruption?"

The security bureau smiled wryly:
"Chen quickly discovered that the person who installed the bugging device on Simon was the former senior superintendent of the Political Department who had just retired."

The governor was startled:
"Don't tell me it's because even the fog doesn't satisfy Ximen."

The security bureau shook its head:
"No, Williams was paid a huge sum of money to install it."

The governor didn't believe it and looked at the security bureau with suspicion:

“That’s Jardine Matheson. After working at Jardine Matheson for a certain number of years, you might even have the opportunity to return to Chongqing and enter politics.”

"Is Williams really that short-sighted?"

The Security Bureau explained:
"There are two reasons. One reason is that the amount of money is too large."

The governor disagreed:

"How big can it be?"

The security bureau was slightly envious:

Five million Hong Kong dollars!

hiss!
The governor gasped and burst into curses:

"We knew you were capable of corruption, but to embezzle five million in one go, you really dared to do it!"

The three departments and one bureau quickly replied:
“Sir, we did not embezzle any money.”

However, the governor no longer trusted them.

A few years ago, Peter Godber embezzled five million dollars!

That was five million a few years ago!
If you put that in today's market, wouldn't it be worth tens of millions?
Now it's even worse; three people dared to embezzle 80 million!
Even the governor didn't have the guts, let alone the connections.

I never imagined that someone so close to him would dare to embezzle so much.
This is disrespecting the governor!

The governor's eyes were bloodshot. He was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred!
Upon seeing this, the security bureau quickly said:
"Lord Governor, you've misunderstood."

"This money wasn't embezzled; it was money to buy one's life!"

The governor was taken aback:
"Money for life?"

The security bureau smiled wryly:
“That man is Simon, a billionaire. In Hong Kong, even you have to give Simon some face.”

The governor nodded slowly.

However, the Security Bureau was conservative.

It wasn't that he was giving Ximen face; it was that Ximen was giving him face.

Five million to buy off Simon is a reasonable price to pay.

Even so, the governor was envious.

That’s five million!
The governor asked:

"How did this matter get connected to the three ICAC commissioners?"

The security bureau smiled wryly:
“Williams is Commissioner William’s older brother, but of course, that’s not the most important thing.”

"Most importantly, the money was transferred from Commissioner William's account."

"Chen was very curious as to how an ICAC commissioner could have such a large sum of money in his account."

"This shouldn't be the case!"

"So he looked it up, and what he found almost scared him to death."

“Even if five million Hong Kong dollars were transferred to Commissioner William’s account, he would still have more than forty million left in his account.”

"Chen thought, the ICAC is an anti-corruption agency. How can a commissioner dare to embezzle so much? Isn't he afraid that the two deputy commissioners will report him?"

"After all, you also established four inquiry committees in order to limit the ICAC."

With all these checks and balances in place, what gives Commissioner William any peace of mind?

The governor already understood:
"Chen judged that the other two deputy commissioners were also corrupt?"

The Security Bureau shrugged:

"If the other two were clean, would Commissioner William dare to be so greedy?"

"The ICAC also has an internal oversight team."

The governor said with a dark face:

"Did Chen also check the other two commissioners as well?"

The security bureau said awkwardly:
"It wasn't really an investigation; he just checked the accounts of two people."

“Under normal circumstances, public officials like these would not use their own accounts to accept bribes.”

There are all sorts of ways to accept bribes.

"For example, an anonymous account overseas."

"For example, bearer bonds."

"Chen was just curious and took a look out of curiosity and with a skeptical mindset."

"I never expected this..."

"It's a case involving multiple individuals!"

The Security Bureau said incredulously,
"To be honest, I really don't understand them. How can they be so brazen as to accept bribes?"

The governor asked expressionlessly:

"Don't you understand?"

The three departments and one bureau all nodded in agreement.

They really don't understand how big their minds are, daring to act so recklessly.

Now look, things went wrong, didn't they? They got caught red-handed!
The governor sneered:
"Besides Godber, have we investigated any other people from Chongqing before?"

The three of them shook their heads.

If it weren't for the immense public outrage, Godber would never have been arrested and put on trial.

Even so, he was only sentenced to four years in prison with a two-year reprieve.

Logically, Geber should have been released this year, but he was released the year before last.

"People from Chongqing won't check people from Chongqing."

"The identities of William and his two companions are special. If they don't investigate others, people are lucky. How could anyone expect someone to investigate them?"

"That's what you call being fearless because you have something to rely on!"

"What a pity! Of all the things these guys could do, they dared to set their sights on Simon!"

"You deserve it!"

The security chief hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Chen said that William and the other two have powerful backers, and that someone is instructing them to target Simon."

"In chronological order, the person behind them gave them forty million."

"Then William and his two companions made their move."

The governor nodded slightly:

"Forty million! If you gave it to me, I'd do it too."

This is what he thinks.

Forty million Hong Kong dollars—a fortune that 99% of people could never accumulate in a lifetime.

If we can get 40 million just by taking down Simon, there's no question, let's go for it!
The security bureau couldn't help but raise their voices:

"Lord Governor, haven't you realized how serious this matter is?"

The governor disagreed:

"What's serious?"

"We've come all this way because I want to make money."

"The mistake William and the others made was due to their carelessness."

The security bureau muttered:
"So this is ah?"

"Is Chen making a fuss over nothing?"

The governor asked curiously:
"What did Chen say?"

The security bureau said nonchalantly:
"Chen said that the ICAC is a knife in the hands of the Governor. Whoever the Governor tells you to investigate, you investigate; wherever the Governor tells you to investigate, you investigate."

"The ICAC, this knife, doesn't need to have thoughts."

"It should be completely loyal to the Dude."

"The matter involving William and the other two will definitely enrage the Governor, and he will never forgive them."

He scratched his head.

"It seems Chen made a mistake in his judgment. You don't care..."

The governor angrily said:

Who told you that?

"I care a lot!"

"Chen is right, we should investigate this thoroughly!"

Chen Guozhong's words immediately made the governor realize that the ICAC was indeed the sharpest knife in his hand.

This knife shouldn't have any thoughts; if it does, then those thoughts should be mine.

How did William and his two companions do it?

They actually developed their own thoughts and embezzled more than 80 million!

The governor felt suffocated at the thought of this astronomical figure.

I didn't even greedily take that much!
Those three deserve to die!

The Security Bureau further stated:

"Besides this reason, there is another reason, which is Simon's special nature."

"His matter cannot be taken lightly."

"If it's not handled properly, the problem will become serious."

“Simon will not only speak out in Hong Kong, but he also has channels to speak out in Chongqing.”

“If he is not satisfied with how things are handled, this will definitely happen.”

"There's absolutely no doubt about it."

The governor nodded vigorously:

"check!"

"We must get to the bottom of this."

"Chen is right, we must give Simon an explanation no matter what."

The Chief Secretary for Administration quickly asked:
"Should we suppress this matter?"

The governor glared at him:
Why were they taken away?

“I was the one who promoted William and the other two. If they hadn’t ganged up on me, what would they be?”

"They ate my food and drank my water, but in the end, they betrayed me and didn't listen to me!"

How could I possibly let them off?

"Moreover, it will just be a good opportunity to quell Ximen's anger."

Why would I want to offend three people at once?

The Chief Secretary for Administration thought to himself, "Then why did you get so angry at us just now?"
He then angrily exclaimed, "Your Excellency is wise!"

The governor gritted his teeth and said:
Did Chen say who was behind those three idiots?

The Chief Secretary for Administration looked at the Security Bureau, who quickly said:

"Chen didn't say, but he told me that ordinary banks would never dare to open such an account."

The governor was startled, turned around abruptly, and said incredulously:
"You mean the person who wants to take down Simon is HSBC's Shen Daban?"

The Chief Secretary for Administration waved his hand repeatedly:
"I didn't say that!"

The governor said coldly:
"But that's exactly what you mean!"

The Chief Secretary for Administration could only manage a wry smile.

The governor doesn't want to offend those people, but does he want to?

James, Chen Guozhong, Simon, Shen Daban...

These were people even the governor didn't want to offend, so he certainly didn't want to offend them either.

The governor's lips twitched slightly. This is really damn troublesome.

On one side is the West Gate, and on the other side is Shen Daban.

It's not easy to offend either of them.

Which side should we support?

After a moment's thought, the governor knew which side to support—one side had two millionaires, while the other only had one. Need I say more?

"Tell Chen that we will never tolerate illegal and criminal activities."

The Security Bureau nodded repeatedly:

"Yes, I will pass it on immediately."

The governor softened his tone slightly:
"what can we do?"

The Financial Secretary immediately said:

"Freeze those three guys' accounts!"

"To be taken over by the Governor's Mansion."

"This is stolen money!"

The governor's eyes lit up:
"That's right, that's how it should be done."

"Financial Secretary, issue an official document immediately to freeze these three accounts!"

The Financial Secretary repeatedly said:

"Don't worry, Your Excellency, I'll do it right away."

The governor was in a great mood:

"Is Chen still a police superintendent?"

The security bureau nodded in agreement.

The governor shook his head:
"How come such a dedicated and public-spirited police officer is still only a superintendent?"

"Promote him two ranks, make him a Chief Superintendent!"

The security bureau readily agreed.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency, I'll go and investigate right away!"

(End of this chapter)