Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 64 Leaked
"Since the end of the Shanghai War, the overall environment in Shanghai has entered a stable period from a turbulent period. Strict control of judicial work was a measure to maintain public order during the turbulent period. Today, I believe that the environment has reached a point where it is time to lift this measure.

So, the rumor that the Judicial Department will release prisoners who have been punished during the strict supervision period is true, and it will be the focus of my work for some time to come."

Wow, this is official certification of the news. The reporters below couldn't contain themselves and some raised their hands to ask pointed questions.

"Excuse me, Deputy Director Gu, how many people did Japan capture after the war? How many do you plan to release?"

"The SH City government is undergoing institutional reform, from the SH City Reform Government to the SH City Special Government. The name has changed, the office address has changed, and the personnel have changed. The original files of all institutions are in the process of relocation, handover and sorting, including the Judicial Department.

The Judicial Department, as the highest institution in charge of SH City's judicial system, has a archive of all criminal and civil case files since the end of the war. It's quite a large number, but I've only just taken office, so I don't know the exact number yet."

"Deputy Director Gu, is it an unconditional release or a conditional release?"

"The release of these prisoners is a judicial process, and everything must be done in accordance with the judicial system."

"Deputy Director Gu, when will the first batch of prisoners be released, and when will all prisoners be released?"

"The SH City government has decided to establish the SH City Special Court. This will be the highest court in SH City. All release reviews will be concluded by this court. Therefore, when the first batch of prisoners will be released and when all prisoners will be released will depend on the progress of the Special Court's work.

Because the infrastructure construction of the special court still takes time, I have also received some requests from various sectors of society, hoping that the prisoners can be released as soon as possible.

Therefore, the Judicial Department will temporarily allow the staff of the Special Court to temporarily start their work in the original Zhabei Court to meet the expectations of the society and release them as soon as possible.

Therefore, the release date of the first group of prisoners you asked about may be earlier than you think.

It's now.

At this moment, the special court has officially opened and started its work, and perhaps today you will hear news that some prisoners have been released."

Oh, this is a clear fact, beyond the reporter's expectation.

"Deputy Director Gu, regarding these prisoners who were detained during your strict supervision period, there has been discussion and reports in society for a long time, hoping that the Judicial Department can release them, but there has been no news.

Was the decision made by the Judicial Department due to your efforts and support behind the scenes?

Finally, a reporter asked a good question.

Gu Yansheng smiled and decided to take note of the reporter's appearance and ask her which unit she was from so that he could invite her more often in the future.

"I joined the government to improve Shanghai's judicial system, so I definitely contributed to Shanghai's judicial reform."

"I heard you used to be a lawyer. You must have had many wonderful cases. Can you tell me about one that you think is the most exciting?"

"This question is not official business. If necessary, please contact the Publicity Department privately and schedule an interview separately."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Deputy Director Gu, you mentioned judicial reform and the establishment of a special court. Will the Judicial Department revise existing laws in the near future?"

The person asking the questions was a British reporter.

Gu Yansheng nodded: "If necessary, of course."

“So, is there such an item in your revised catalog?

A pre-qualification deposit system has been established, requiring all chambers of commerce conducting maritime trade in Shanghai to pay a deposit of 20% of the value of the cargo in advance. The deposit can be used in rotation if no violations are found. If any violations are found, the deposit will be deducted in full.

The purpose of your amendment to this regulation is to try to take back the right to judge foreign merchant ships from the concession.

Aren't you afraid of causing foreign investment disputes? Aren't you afraid of causing public outrage?

Please answer."

"what?"

The British reporter's words immediately caused an uproar in the audience. The reporters were surprised by the emergence of this new information and discussed it in a flurry.

Some city government officials attending the meeting had no idea about this matter and were discussing it in low voices or listening to reporters' comments.

As for the senior official in the first row, Hasegawa's expression became visibly gloomy, forming a sharp contrast with the calmness of Fu Xiaoan, who was a few seats to his right.

The news leaked!

His and Gu Yansheng's final plan actually appeared in the mouth of a British reporter!
Once this news spreads, all the previous work may be wasted, the reform of the Judicial Department cannot be carried out, and all plans will become a joke.

After a moment of noise, the scene quickly returned to silence, and everyone waited for Gu Yansheng's answer.

However, compared with the speed of Gu Yansheng's answers to the previous questions, he did not respond immediately this time. They had reason to believe that this question should not be within the scope of this press conference, but it should be true.

Gu Yansheng did pause for two seconds. The incident was exposed in advance, which caused all subsequent plans to be changed. There was no doubt that someone was setting up a trap behind his back and wanted to catch him off guard.

They carried out a surprise attack in public because they wanted to make fun of him and ruin his reputation.

The timing of the attack was very good.

Gu Yansheng smiled at him and said, "You're well-informed, aren't you? Would you mind telling me where you got your information?"

"No," the British reporter replied unsurprisingly. "I want to protect my sources. Please answer my questions directly."

Gu Yansheng nodded, looked around the room, stayed for a moment on Fu Xiaoan's calm face as if nothing had happened, and quickly looked away.

"Amending the law is certainly the responsibility of the Judiciary Department. However, as I just said, I have only been in the new government for a short time. Amending the law is a long-term task, and everything is still ongoing. Therefore, this part of the content should not have been announced publicly today. It certainly should not have appeared in the mouth of this journalist friend.

Before answering this reporter's question, I have a question for him: the government's unpublished information is confidential, and disclosing it to you is illegal. So, knowing that he is breaking the law, do you still want to protect him?

The British journalist was very tough. "Of course I have to protect him. It's a professional code of conduct for journalists to protect their sources. I am a person of integrity."

"A journalist's professional code of conduct overrides the law, is that what you mean?"

"That's certainly not what I meant, but I am not subject to the laws of your new government."

"What about your source? Don't tell me he's not subject to the new government's laws either?"

The British reporter shrugged nonchalantly: "That's your business. I won't reveal this person's information anyway."

"Look, this is the typical image of a judicial destroyer."

Gu Yansheng pointed at him and scanned the entire audience: "

This British journalist gave us a vivid lesson. The topic was why Shanghai people should have their own independent law enforcement power.

He condones others' violations of the law, offers protection to lawbreakers, and feels complacent about it, simply because he is satisfying his personal interests as a journalist.

He felt that because he was British, he was above the Shanghai judicial system and above all SH citizens protected by the Shanghai judicial system.

Arrogant and ignorant.

In your eyes, you have no law at all. You question the SH City Government's legal amendments. Sorry, I don't think you are qualified to raise this question, and I don't bother to answer you. "

The British reporter's face turned grim. Who knew Gu Yansheng would belittle him right then and there? He shouted, "No need to change the subject. You need to answer my question. Even if you don't answer my question, you know it's a question that many reporters here will be concerned about!"

"I said you were ignorant, but you didn't seem to understand? Then I might as well explain it more clearly.

I remind you that internal information that has not been made public by the government is confidential. As a foreigner, if you obtain this secret, you may be guilty of espionage. This is the city of SH. If you ask me to answer this question, you may end up in jail.

I'm protecting you. Do you understand this time?

You are no longer eligible to attend the Judicial Department's press conferences. Guards, take you out."

Something unexpected happened to all the reporters present. A reporter was kicked out of the press conference today, and he was a British reporter.

The new deputy director of the Justice Department is very strong and has a strong personality.

Now that you're here, take a few photos of this reporter who was kicked out. He definitely won't be on the front page tomorrow, but having his photo put on the back page is still quite marketable.

After the people were carried away, the noisy scene became quiet again.

Gu Yansheng said: "Now that there are no more people breaking the law, let's continue talking about things that are law-abiding.

The regulations mentioned by the British reporter just now have indeed been passed at an internal meeting of the Judicial Department and will be implemented soon.

First, as the highest court within the jurisdiction of the SH Municipal Government, the Special Court has the jurisdiction to hear all disputes arising within the city.

Second, a joint China-Japan review committee will be established to review prohibited materials.

Third, establish a pre-examination deposit system.

"

After the press conference, Hasegawa followed Gu Yansheng to the office upstairs.

Although the accident at the press conference ended satisfactorily under Gu Yansheng's high control, now that the news has been leaked in advance, the consequences after the news spreads tomorrow are completely unpredictable.

Entering the office, Hasegawa asked with a stern face, "Mr. Gu, I don't mean to blame you. You've performed well, but why did the information leak? Who in the Judicial Department has connections with the British? Should we conduct an internal investigation of the Judicial Department?"

"No need. I know who leaked it. It's Fu Xiaoan." Gu Yansheng exposed Fu Xiaoan without hesitation.

"It's him?"

Hasegawa Ingawa was greatly surprised: "Why does Mr. Gu think it was him? He is the mayor of the new government, and this is also the problem he has to solve?"

Gu Yansheng sneered and said, "Fu Xiaoan might want the Judicial Department. He thinks my presence will interfere with his personnel arrangements. So at our first meeting, even though he knew that the government hadn't solved this issue for three months, he still asked me to come up with a plan within three days. This was his first attempt at suppression.

In three days, I came up with a plan, and he looked at it and approved it. At that time, I thought that although Mayor Fu was dissatisfied that the deputy director was not someone he appointed, he was still willing to help advance the work of the municipal government.

The plan was approved readily, and the funds for building the court were also allocated readily. It really didn't put me in any difficult position.

But today's result can only be described as shrewd and cunning.

He didn't make things difficult for me. He sold me out directly. He gave my plan to the British, and not just the British, but also maybe the Americans, French, and Soviets.

He calculated it very well. He thought that even if this matter was exposed, I would not be able to pin it on him. As for the plan, there must be many people in the department who were involved.

But there's one thing he didn't anticipate: this plan was entirely my own. No one in the office knows about it except my two secretaries, one of whom gave it to him and one to you. That's it, clean and simple."

"It's absolutely heartbreaking!"

Hasegawa Inkawa was really furious. His perfect plan was ruined by Fu Xiaoan.

(End of this chapter)