Chapter 1478
Taking Office
Chapter 1478 Taking Office
Jin Meili jumped out from behind Bai Xiuzhu. She was a sixteen-year-old girl wearing a light blue school uniform. Her short hair, which reached her ears, was held back with a plain silver hair clip, revealing a round and fair face.
She wasn't as stunning as Bai Xiuzhu, especially before Bai Xiuzhu had fully blossomed. She was still a beauty in the same category as Bai Xiuzhu, but her eyes were bright and had a kind of untainted liveliness.
What surprised Lin Hao the most was that the girl had natural smile lines at the corners of her mouth, as if she was ready to laugh at any time.
"Meili, don't be so disrespectful!" Jin Quan glared at his daughter from the side, but his tone was full of doting.
Jin Meili stuck out her tongue, then said with a smile, "Hello, Brother Lin! I know you! You're a professor at Peking University, right?"
Lin Hao smiled and said, "Yes, a visiting professor, who occasionally gives lectures."
"Can I audit your classes in the future?" Jin Meili asked, blinking her big eyes.
"My teachers at school say you're an amazing lecturer; you can explain very complex things in a very simple way. I'm studying economics now, and all those theoretical books are giving me a headache!"
"Of course!" Lin Hao was amused by her enthusiasm, and then continued:
"I have a class at Yenching University next Wednesday afternoon, about the international financial system. If you're interested, you can come and listen."
"That's wonderful!" Jin Meili was so happy she almost jumped for joy, turning to Jin Quan and saying:
"Dad, did you hear that? Mr. Lin agreed to let me attend the lectures!"
Jin Quan shook his head and smiled helplessly: "They were just being polite, and you actually took it seriously!"
Seeing her daughter on the verge of tears, she quickly comforted her, "Okay, okay, go ahead, let the driver take you!"
Bai Xiuzhu stood to the side, watching Jin Meili and Lin Hao chatter away, her expression subtly changing.
Suddenly, I had this feeling that my best friend and my boyfriend were alike.
At this time, Bai Xiuzhu admired Jin Yanxi, but she wasn't head over heels in love with him.
But compared to an outstanding young talent like Lin Hao, the difference in their abilities is immediately apparent. As the saying goes, childhood sweethearts are no match for those who are born out of nowhere.
Bai Xiuzhu is showing some of that tendency now, but she hasn't realized it yet because of her long-standing infatuation with Jin Yanxi.
Lin Hao caught a glimpse of Bai Xiuzhu's changing expression out of the corner of his eye and smiled inwardly.
······
After the banquet ended, Jin Quan personally escorted Lin Hao to the door.
"Brother Lin, thank you for your concern regarding Yanxi," Jin Quan said with a hint of emotion.
"This son has been spoiled too much since he was a child, and I've been too busy with work to discipline him. Now he's just loafing around. If I could get him to do something serious, I'd be much less worried!"
Lin Hao said sincerely, "President Jin, rest assured, the Seventh Young Master is not a bad person at heart, he just lacks guidance. Since I have promised, I will take full responsibility."
Jin Quan patted his shoulder, then suddenly lowered his voice and said:
"Brother Lin, you should remember what the President said at the meeting. The Beiyang clique is a very deep place. As a newcomer, it's not a good thing for you to be too sharp."
"If there's anything, let me know first. I've been in the Beiyang government for over twenty years, and there are some intricacies that you might not be familiar with."
These words were spoken very sincerely, and even showed the concern of an elder for a younger person.
Lin Hao felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Chief of Staff Jin. I've got it in mind."
Jin Quan smiled, reverting to his usual smooth-talking, bureaucratic demeanor: "Alright, brother, be careful on the road."
Lin Hao got into the car and looked out the window.
The lights were still on at the entrance of the Jin Mansion. The young masters and ladies of the Jin family came out one after another to see off the guests. Jin Yanxi stood on the steps, and Bai Xiuzhu was talking to him, but Jin Yanxi turned his face away, his mind not on the conversation.
Seeing that the other party ignored her, Bai Xiuzhu felt a little annoyed. Then she suddenly turned her head, her gaze piercing through the night and landing precisely on Lin Hao's car window.
The two looked at each other for a moment through the glass. Lin Hao did not look away, but nodded slightly as a farewell.
For some reason, Bai Xiuzhu's lips curled up slightly, and her mood suddenly improved.
The car started, and Lin Hao leaned back in the back seat, closed his eyes, and recalled every detail of tonight.
The chief of staff approved of his plan and was very satisfied with Lin Hao accepting Jin Yanxi's temporary post. Naturally, he would favor Lin Hao in future political meetings.
······
The following morning, Lin Hao went to the Ministry of Finance to officially assume his post.
Originally, Lin Hao was to serve as the vice minister, but on the day of the banquet, Lin Hao directly sided with the president, using financial control over the military to support the president.
The President was pleased and immediately appointed Lin Hao as Chief of Staff, which was both a good thing and a challenge.
For example, the original finance minister was unhappy and would definitely try to trip him up, but Lin Hao didn't care.
But the benefits are even more obvious: it means he doesn't need to worry about anyone's opinion, and he has the final say in everything from the Ministry of Finance to the entire Ministry of Finance.
As for the vice president of Beiyang Bank, that was a position where he was in charge of the money.
As is customary, the president's confidant holds the position, while the actual daily operations are handled by the vice president.
The Ministry of Finance was located in Xijiaomin Lane, a three-story Western-style building with gray bricks and tiles. Two stone pillars stood at the entrance, with a white plaque bearing the words "Ministry of Finance" in black lettering.
Upon seeing the letter of appointment in his hand, the gatekeeper stood at attention, saluted, and jogged inside.
"Chief Lin has arrived!" The announcement echoed from the first floor to the third floor, spreading like ripples on water.
Lin Hao climbed the wooden stairs, and the officials he encountered along the way all stepped aside to make way for him and bowed their heads in greeting.
But beneath those drooping eyelids lie all sorts of gazes: curiosity, scrutiny, suspicion, and undisguised hostility.
Former Finance Minister Chew Swee Ting was already waiting in the handover room.
He was in his fifties, sporting a goatee, wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit, holding a string of walnuts in his hand, sitting there with his legs crossed, exuding a relaxed air.
Upon seeing Lin Hao enter, he slowly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander Lin is truly young and promising! Congratulations!"
Even knowing this guy had ill intentions, Lin Hao couldn't refuse a smiling face, so he smiled and returned the greeting:
"General Zhou, thank you for your trouble. Please give us more guidance on the handover."
"I wouldn't dare offer guidance!" Zhou Ruiting picked up a stack of documents from the table and pushed them in front of Lin Hao, saying:
"This is the Ministry of Finance's assets. All the debts owed by the provinces, the principal and interest on foreign debts, bank loans, and the arrears in military pay are all here. Chief of Staff Lin, take your time looking through them. There's no rush!"
When he said "no rush," a faint smile played on his lips.
Lin Hao glanced at the document; the handwriting was neat and the accounts were clearly recorded, but they were all bad accounts.
The taxes owed by the provinces to the central government were listed in a long list, enough to keep the Beiyang government busy for three years.
The schedule for foreign debt maturities is packed with details; there's a three million debt due next month.
The interest rates on short-term bank loans are shockingly high; while the national treasury's cash balance is less than 500,000.
Five hundred thousand isn't even enough to pay a month's military salary. This was probably a "gift" that Zhou Ruiting had specially left for him.
He had little money in his account, but a huge amount of foreign debt, and he couldn't collect taxes. No wonder the president had a headache and placed such high hopes on him.
"Chief of Staff Lin, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first." Zhou Ruiting patted Lin Hao on the shoulder, speaking warmly like an older brother.
"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me anytime. But I've been transferred to the Audit Institute now, which is far away, so please bear with me."
"The Audit Institute?" Lin Hao sneered inwardly.
No wonder he was so happy. He dumped the mess on him, then walked away, leaving the person in the Auditor's office waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
"Please take care, Chief of Staff Zhou!" Lin Hao said without changing his expression.
After Zhou Ruiting left, Lin Hao called a meeting with officials at the section chief level and above from all departments.
In the spacious conference room, about twenty people sat on both sides of a long table. They were of all ages, some wearing long gowns and others wearing suits, and all of them looked quite composed.
These are all "veterans" of the Ministry of Finance, having spent anywhere from five to more than a decade in this department, and have long since developed a knack for adapting to changing circumstances.
The military camp remains, but the soldiers come and go. Although countless ministers have come and gone, the Ministry of Finance still cannot function properly without these "veterans."
Lin Hao sat silently in the main seat, watching the group of people below buzzing and discussing, without making a move to speak.
The buzzing continued for more than ten minutes before everyone realized something was wrong, and the buzzing gradually subsided.
After the entire conference room quieted down, Lin Hao did not reprimand them, nor did he set any rules, nor did he immediately make a big show of things as a new official.
Instead, he nonchalantly stated, "Gentlemen, my name is Lin Hao, and I will be in charge of the Ministry of Finance from this day forward."
Lin Hao's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly heard by everyone.
However, as soon as Lin Hao finished speaking, another buzzing discussion erupted below. Seeing this, Lin Hao still didn't reprimand them, but simply waited for them to finish their discussion and quiet down.
It took about ten minutes for the entire conference room to become completely silent before Lin Hao continued:
"Gentlemen, my name is Lin Hao, and I will be in charge of the Ministry of Finance from today onwards."
"Buzz buzz buzz~!" Then came another round of discussion.
"Did I hear that right, Chief of Staff? Please continue later!"
However, Lin Hao ignored their discussion and waited for a full four or five minutes until the meeting room fell silent again before continuing:
"Gentlemen, my name is Lin Hao, and I will be in charge of the Ministry of Finance from today onwards."
"Buzz buzz buzz~!"
"What's going on? Why does this new chief of staff keep repeating this sentence?"
"Yes, him...!"
This sparked an even more heated discussion than before, but many people sensed something was wrong and quickly suppressed their doubts and quieted down.
"Gentlemen, my name is Lin Hao, and I will be in charge of the Ministry of Finance from today onwards." Lin Hao repeated his previous words once again.
This time, no one discussed it anymore. There was a reason why Lin Hao kept repeating this sentence. Either he was asserting his authority, or they were unhappy that they started discussing it as soon as he finished speaking.
Seeing that the meeting room was quiet as before, and no one was continuing their buzzing discussion, Lin Hao continued:
"The President has entrusted me with the finances, so I have to do a good job. If I do it well, it will be everyone's credit, and we'll all be living the high life."
"If it's not done well, it's because I, Lin Hao, am incompetent. We'll all starve. But before that, well…!"
As soon as Lin Hao finished speaking, another buzzing discussion broke out. Lin Hao ignored it and let them continue their discussion.
However, this discussion lasted much shorter than before, only about four or five minutes before it quieted down.
Clearly, everyone realized that the repeated emphasis just now was perhaps not only a show of force, but also an expression of dissatisfaction with the buzzing discussion below.
However, the new chief of staff was quite patient, insisting on waiting until they finished their discussion and quieted down before continuing.
If they think this is weakness and vulnerability, then it only shows that they've wasted their time in officialdom; this is just a show of force.
It's been almost an hour since the meeting started, but the new chief of staff has only said three sentences, and that was just the beginning.
If this continues, how long will this go on?
Lin Hao's gaze swept over everyone present, and only after the conference room quieted down again did he continue:
"Gentlemen, my name is Lin Hao, and I will be in charge of the Ministry of Finance from today onwards..."
Finally, no one was discussing it while Lin Hao was speaking, so Lin Hao continued:
"I hope you all understand one thing: from today onwards, every transaction of the Ministry of Finance, every penny spent, must be clearly recorded in the books."
"I won't dwell on the past, but no one can fool anyone about what's to come."
"Buzz~!" As expected, Lin Hao's words immediately sparked a discussion among them, but then they quieted down after remembering that Lin Hao had repeated himself earlier.
Therefore, the meeting room fell silent after only five seconds of discussion.
But it was no use. Lin Hao started loading the save file again: "Everyone, my name is Lin Hao. From this day forward..."
"I won't dwell on the past, but no one can fool anyone about what's to come."
After Lin Hao finished speaking, the conference room fell silent. Only then did Lin Hao continue with satisfaction: "Who agrees and who disagrees?"
"If you have any different opinions, please raise your hand to ask a question!"
As soon as Lin Hao finished speaking, there was no discussion below. A middle-aged man sitting in the third seat on the left cleared his throat and slowly asked:
"Chief Lin, you kept repeating yourself. Are you dissatisfied with us?"
Lin Hao looked at the middle-aged man, then said calmly:
"I am indeed dissatisfied with you, but I don't mean it to target any one person; rather, I'm dissatisfied with everyone!"
"As for why I emphasized that interrupting one's superior is the quality of a Beiyang government financial officer?"
"From now on, if anyone interrupts me, my response will probably still be to start over from the beginning!"
As soon as Lin Hao finished speaking, just as everyone was about to discuss it, they suddenly remembered what Lin Hao had just said and immediately realized that Lin Hao was setting rules for them.
They immediately fell silent, no longer discussing it privately, and all sat upright, waiting for Lin Hao to continue.
Sure enough, seeing that no one was discussing it privately, Lin Hao continued, "Alright, enough of the small talk, let's get back to the main topic!"
At this moment, another person raised their hand and asked:
"Chief of Staff Lin, it's not that we're not cooperating, it's just that you know the current situation of our Ministry of Finance!"
"The money in the account isn't enough to pay next month's salaries, and we've been chasing payments from various provinces, but they just won't come. Foreign debts are due and people are threatening to come and seal off the customs offices—tell me, how can we keep a clear record of all this?"
This statement was neither too soft nor too hard; it sounded like a question, but it was actually a sabotage.
Lin Hao glanced at him. He recognized the man as Zhao Bingwen, the director of the Treasury Department and a confidant of Zhou Ruiting. Zhao had held this position for six years, managing the national treasury's revenue and expenditure accounts and holding countless shady dealings in his hands.
"Director Zhao, that's a good question!" Lin Hao smiled and continued:
"How do we make things clear? It's very simple. Starting today, all accounts will be settled daily and monthly, and each item will be reported in detail."
"I will talk to the high-ranking officials in charge of the funds from each province. They will be directly transferred to the head office of Beiyang Bank and will not go through the provincial treasury."
Military pay was directly allocated from headquarters to the bank, and then directly deposited into the soldiers' accounts by the banking system, without any intermediaries.
Zhao Bingwen's expression changed, but Lin Hao didn't give him a chance to speak again, and directly turned to the others and said:
"The collection of taxes from each province is the responsibility of the Taxation Bureau. Within three days, I will be given a detailed list indicating which provinces have paid on time, which provinces are in arrears, and how much they are in arrears."
"I need to see the report on Beiyang Bank's reserve situation by tomorrow morning. As for foreign debt..."
He picked up the document on the table, turned to the page about foreign debt, and casually folded a corner over it.
"I will personally handle the foreign debt issue as well..."
The Ministry of Finance meeting lasted a full three hours and went very smoothly.
There's no other way; anyone who leaves the meeting room, regardless of the reason, is not allowed to re-enter.
Lin Hao also doesn't give advance notice. Whether it's going to the toilet, his elderly mother giving birth, or his daughter marrying a beggar, once he leaves, he can't come back.
Anyone who caused trouble or acted too wildly was immediately dismissed by Lin Hao, which terrified them.
After all, according to Lin Hao, if you don't take this position, there are plenty of others who can, with many graduates waiting to take the job.
After Lin Hao's outburst, those who had previously been hinted at by Zhou Ruiting to make things difficult for him are now behaving like obedient kittens, and no one dares to act recklessly towards Lin Hao.
Therefore, the meeting proceeded very smoothly, and Lin Hao assigned tasks to departments or responsible persons.
After the meeting, Lin Hao sat alone in his office and read through the handover documents again from beginning to end.
Zhou Ruiting left him not only a stall, but also many traps.
However, since the President's decision to appoint Lin Hao as Chief of Staff was made on a whim, Zhou Ruiting did not have time to make detailed preparations.
Therefore, these traps were hastily set up, so there are many loopholes in them, which Lin Hao can easily solve and avoid.
However, chaotic accounts, low morale, and lack of cooperation from local authorities—these three factors combined would leave anyone in a bind.
But Lin Hao was no ordinary person, and he intended to push through the game quickly and decisively.
Therefore, Lin Hao directly used his illusion skill to begin modifying their memories one by one, making them pledge allegiance to him.
“Especially these four people!” Lin Hao took out a piece of white paper from the drawer and wrote down a few names on it:
Zhao Bingwen, Director of Treasury; Sun Yaozu, Director of Taxation; Qian Weicheng, Salt Administration; and Zhou Mingcheng, Manager of the Business Department of Beiyang Bank.
It's not that these four people are the most important, but rather that each of them has their own faction behind them and occupies key positions.
In fact, the government bond company also has dealings with foreigners, but fortunately it is not controlled by them or directly acts as their agent.
Therefore, Lin Hao's first thought was to prioritize recruiting these four people.
Once these four people are "subdued," control of the Ministry of Finance and Beiyang Bank will be essentially secured.