The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

Washington, D.C., Treasury Building.

Finance Minister's Office.

Looking at the US stock market, which had just closed and suffered a devastating drop, Paulson felt a splitting headache.

What troubled him even more was that he had just finished a conference call with several other finance ministers of the G7 to discuss how to save the international financial markets.

The conference call lasted for nearly an hour, and by the time the US stock market closed, it still hadn't yielded any results.

Some emergency market rescue measures introduced during this period not only failed to have any positive effect, but also exacerbated the despair in the market.

Seeing this result, Paulson and his team, like countless other investors in the market, were somewhat desperate.

They racked their brains but couldn't come up with an effective way to save the collapsing international financial markets.

Of course, there is also an element of unconscious escapism involved here.

As the finance minister of a government that pursued liberal economic policies, Paulson subconsciously avoided certain things.

Not only him, but several other finance ministers from the G7 also exhibited the same behavior.

After quickly reviewing the trends in the US stock market, Paulson felt even worse, and his headache intensified.

But he still has a lot of work to do, and it's not time for him to rest yet.

The upcoming weekend is destined to be very busy for him.

The next moment, he picked up the coffee cup on his desk, took two sips, and prepared to call the president's office to report the situation.

Just then, his secretary, accompanied by his chief aide, knocked on the door and entered the office.

As soon as he entered, the chief aide exclaimed excitedly:

"Good news, Minister. I just received a call from the office of the Chinese Finance Minister's secretary. The person on the other end said that the Chinese Finance Minister would like to speak with you."

"The reason why the Chinese Finance Minister wants to speak with you is because they say they have a set of effective measures to rescue the international financial markets, which are on the verge of collapse."

"The Chinese government has been closely monitoring the current situation in the international financial markets and has conducted relevant investigations and research. To date, they believe..."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a loud crash.

Paulson reacted as if he had been electrocuted, shoving his desk and then quickly standing up, pushing back his chair.

In the rush, several office supplies on the desk were knocked over, and a lot of the coffee that was still half in the cup spilled out.

But at that moment, Paulson was like a drowning man grasping at a straw; he couldn't care less about any of that.

He stared wide-eyed at his chief aide and secretary in disbelief.

"Did I hear that right? The Chinese Finance Minister said they have effective measures to rescue the market? Why are they so confident?"

"Since the outbreak of this financial crisis, we have tried countless methods to save the international financial markets, but none of them have worked; instead, the financial crisis has only worsened!"

"They are basically outsiders, and haven't been as severely impacted by the financial crisis. What good ideas do they have to prevent the collapse of the international financial markets?"

The chief aide looked at Paulson and shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know why they are so certain that their market rescue measures will definitely work, but their tone is certainly full of confidence."

"They also said that if you have any doubts about their bailout plan, they can contact the other finance ministers of the G7 and discuss it with them."

"According to them, the weekend is the most critical moment to save the international financial markets, and it's the last two days. If the problem can't be solved in these two days, the international financial markets are finished..."

Before he could finish speaking, Paulson impatiently interrupted him.

"No, this G7 special meeting is being held in Washington. We are the core force in the international financial market and the creators of the current international financial order. The other six countries are just our vassals."

"At the G7 meeting, the entity that proposes effective measures to rescue the market must be us, it must be me, not the finance ministers of the other six countries. This is not about showing off, but a major issue concerning the discourse power in the financial markets..."

Looking at Paulson, who seemed to have suddenly come to life, a flash of disdain crossed the chief aide's eyes!

Once the election results come out next month, you'll be fired, so what are you bragging about?

The chief aide muttered a few complaints to himself, but said something completely different aloud.

"In that case, should I contact them immediately and arrange for you to speak directly with the Chinese Finance Minister?"

Paulson blushed slightly, but finally nodded.

"Okay, contact them immediately. I'd love to know what effective measures they'll come up with to rescue the market."

"After receiving their bailout plan, I will organize a team of experts to study it. There are still two days over the weekend, which is more than enough time."

Upon seeing him make his decision, the chief aide immediately nodded.

"Understood, Minister. I'll contact them right away."

After saying that, the guy quickly took out his phone and started making calls to the other side of the ocean.

The following actions went very smoothly!

Minutes later, a transoceanic telephone conference between the two finance ministers quickly commenced.

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, Paulson couldn't wait to get to the point.

"Mr. Minister, I just heard from my staff that you have developed an effective solution to the market crisis that is currently facing the international financial market. Is that true?"

"Furthermore, I've heard that the reason you called is to discuss this market rescue plan with me. I'm very curious and would like to hear the specific details of your market rescue plan."

As he said this, he unconsciously raised his chin, his tone revealing a condescending air.

His chief aide and secretary across the desk, as well as several high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Finance who had just arrived, all secretly scoffed at his stubborn insistence on saving face at the cost of suffering.

The Chinese Finance Minister, far across the ocean, naturally wouldn't tolerate this, and sarcastically remarked:

"It has been exactly one month since this global financial market crisis began, and in that month we have seen too many rescue plans and measures, but these plans and measures have had little effect."

"The most talked-about bailout plan was the $7000 billion plan proposed by your Ministry of Finance, but this plan has been all bark and no bite, and has been slow to materialize, which is disappointing..."

Upon hearing this, Paulson's face darkened instantly, and his expression turned unpleasant.

He wanted to argue back, but felt he lacked the confidence to do so.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

Or you could say that he was rebuffed by Minister Xie, who was far away on the other side of the ocean.

Minister Xie's voice suddenly became more serious as he openly and subtly criticized the government's $7000 billion bailout plan.

"The current international financial market is getting worse every day and is on the verge of collapse. Our country's financial market is also a part of the international financial market."

"From this perspective, we don't want to see the international financial markets completely collapse, as that would have a devastating impact on the global economy. That's why we've been researching how to save the international financial markets."

"Fortunately, we have found the answer, but there is no free lunch in this world. Our provision of this bailout plan to your country or the G7 comes with conditions. We can make some deals."

"For example, you need to guarantee that all the US Treasury bonds we hold will not depreciate and can be fully redeemed on schedule. You need to put some pressure on Goldman Sachs to make Goldman Sachs fully redeem the debt owed to Yuanda Investment..."

Upon hearing this, a young and handsome face suddenly flashed through Paulson's mind.

Could it be that little rascal?