The Princeling of Nanjing (6 page)

“Let’s go for a walk,” May said as Ava settled the lunch bill. “I could use some air, and it’s almost a sin to come here and not experience the Bund on foot.”

They left the hotel and crossed the street to the promenade. It was even more crowded than usual and their walk turned into a shuffle. That and the fact that the river view was blocked by a solid wall of people staring out onto the Huangpu and the Pearl Tower and skyscrapers that lined the riverbank in Pudong made the outing seem rather pointless to Ava.

“You surprised me when you made that remark about Xu tangling with the Tsais,” Ava said. “I didn’t think you’d put much credence into what I was telling you.”

“Even if a quarter of it is true, that’s still reason enough to tiptoe around that family. You don’t want to give them the slightest indication that you might pose a problem. You don’t get to Lian’s status without being incredibly smart and superbly connected. And you don’t survive for as long as he has without having a highly refined instinct for survival. He’s the kind of man who can anticipate trouble before it has a chance of raising its head and is willing to chop off the head without waiting to see if his instincts were right.”

“Why would Xu cause him trouble?”

“He doesn’t have to; Tsai Lian just needs to think Xu’s capable of it. Xu shouldn’t mess with him or, by extension, with his son. Lian would regard any attempt to discredit his son or his family as a direct attack on himself.”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

“But May, I’ve been thinking about what you said at lunch.”

“I said a lot of things.”

“Well, one thing you made clear was that I don’t really know much about the deal between Xu and the Tsais.”

“So?”

“You sparked my curiosity.”

“That wasn’t my intent.”

“I know, but I wouldn’t mind finding out how many companies the Tsai family actually has and who is running what, including which other relatives are in the mix.”

“Ava!”

“Don’t panic. I’m not going to run off half-cocked. But I am thinking about it and I am curious.”

“What did I tell you about how sensitive this situation is?”

“May, I know how to be discreet, and I know how to keep my head down.”

“Why bother with it at all?”

“Well, I’m thinking that if Xu is giving them money, then the likelihood is that they’re doing deals with others.”

“I’d say it’s closer to a certainty than a likelihood.”

“It would be interesting to know who they are.”

“Why?”

“You never know what you might find,” Ava said with a shrug.

“That’s the potential problem,” May said. “What if what you find is trouble?”

“All of the Tsai companies would have to be registered, wouldn’t they?”

“You’re not listening to me,” May said.

“I’m listening. I’m just not agreeing.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” May said.

“That won’t stop me thinking about it.”

“Ava, you just can’t blunder about. You don’t know the system here well enough.”

“That’s why I’m asking you questions.”

“You’re making me crazy is what you’re doing.”

“Look, given our relationship with Xu, we have a stake in this. And I think, like me, you still want us to be doing business with him a year or two from now. I don’t want this drug thing to get him killed or thrown into a Chinese jail.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“Maybe, but don’t forget what organization he’s part of, and don’t start minimizing the danger the Tsai family represents after you’ve just told me so much about it.”

“Ava, I concede that Xu is in a difficult position, whichever way he turns. What I don’t understand is what you think you can actually do about it.”

“He needs to find some leverage that will persuade the Tsai family to back off on the lab.”

“What kind of leverage?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’ve been careless somewhere. Maybe I can find a direct link between the Governor and the money. I won’t know until I see it. That’s why I want to take a close look at those companies.”

“It sounds very iffy to me.”

“So it should. I have no idea what I’ll find, but I won’t find anything unless I make the effort. If it turns out there’s nothing, then Xu can deal with Tsai Men as best he can and we’ll just hope it works out.”

May stepped in front of Ava. “If I get involved, you have to actually listen to me and not just pretend to.”

“I will.”

“You would have to stay completely under the Tsai family’s radar.”

“I understand.”

“That means no direct contact with any of them and no direct contact with anyone who’s one of their partners or works for them. “

“May, I’ve spent my career following paper trails. They’ll never know I’m looking.”

“And I want you to tell me what you find when you find it. I don’t want any surprises.”

“So I assume you’ll help?”

“Yes,” May said slowly. “I only wish I felt as carefree about it as you sound.”

Ava smiled. “Then can we go back to my original question about company registrations?”

“The companies would be registered,” May said with a heavy sigh.

“Would the officers and shareholders be listed?”

“Of course, but that might not mean much. If they’re intent on hiding the true identity of the shareholders they could have any number of people — including family and friends — listed instead. It’s done all the time, and not always for sinister reasons. I mean, I know businesspeople who just don’t want anyone to know what they’re actually worth.

“The most important name attached to most of the companies is the designated legal representative. Every business in China, domestic and foreign, is required to have one. They’re the people empowered to represent the company and enter into binding obligations on its behalf. They’ll have full access to the company cash and capital. Their chop stamps — which are registered with the police — are as vital as any signature.”

Pedestrian traffic had thinned and they were able to walk faster. As they did, Ava stretched her arms out in front and to the sides. Her morning languor was fading and she began to feel, if not invigorated, energetic. She knew that part of that energy spurt came from her decision to try to help Xu. What was odd was that she wasn’t quite sure when she’d made it. She hadn’t even thought about it until she’d started talking to May over lunch, and even then she hadn’t been conscious of it. It was as if her mind was just programmed to respond that way.

“I’m going to start with Feng,” Ava said abruptly.

“Who’s he?”

“Xu’s administrator. He controls the records. I’ll get him to provide me with all the information he has about the Tsai companies.”

“Will he tell Xu that you asked?”

“I’ll probably have to go through Xu to get Feng to do it.”

“What will you say to him?”

“I’m information gathering, that’s all,” Ava said. “I want to understand just how large the Tsai empire is and who else is affected by it.”

“He’ll want to know why.”

“And I’ll tell him the truth,” Ava said. “I want to help Xu, but I don’t have a clue what to do. So I’m doing what I would have done on any job with Uncle, and that’s finding as much information as I can and hoping that somewhere there’s a nugget or two that we can use to our advantage.”

They reached the end of the Bund and reversed their course. As they did, Ava’s phone rang.

“Hey,” she said.

“How are you feeling?” Amanda asked.

“Surprisingly good. I’m out for a walk on the Bund with May. How about you?”

“I woke up about half an hour ago. I have a headache and I’m a bit nauseated, but the last time I felt this happy was on my wedding day. Yesterday was terrific.”

“It was. You and Chi-Tze and Gillian did a wonderful job.”

“It was Clark who did it.”

“There’s no doubt he’s the star, but without your support it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Thanks, Ava. I’ll tell the girls what you said.”

“Do you have plans for today?”

“I’m meeting with Gillian and Chi-Tze later this afternoon. We’re going to review the response to the show and figure out what needs to get done over the next few weeks. Tonight I’m having dinner with Elsa Ngan. Her photographer starts shooting tomorrow. I’ve arranged for him and Clark to spend most of the day together.”

“I assume Lane Crawford will be part of your review,” Ava said.

“Yes, it’s at the top of the list. Carrie Song’s assistant has already emailed us with a long list of questions. I forwarded some of them to Clark and he’s promised to get back to me by tomorrow morning. She’ll have to wait until then for answers, because I don’t want to send her anything that’s incomplete.”

“Well, it has to be a positive sign that she contacted you so quickly.”

“That’s what we thought.”

“I would join you for the meeting, but I’m tied up on another project right now and I could be for a few days.”

“Do you need any help with that project?” Amanda asked. Ava detected disappointment in the question. She was going to have to be more sensitive with the girls. They should never feel that she was doing something for the business behind their backs.

“It has nothing to do with the Three Sisters. It’s a carry-over from my old work. I’ll be glad to get it out of way,” Ava said. “I’m going to try to have dinner with Suki and May tonight.”

“Suki’s a force of nature.”

“Like Clark, only different.”

“They’re not as different as they look,” Amanda said. “Both are creative, focused, and driven.”

“They are indeed.”

“I should get going,” Amanda said. “Good luck with your project.”

Ava ended the call. “Gillian, Amanda, and Chi-Tze are getting together at the plant to plot the next steps.”

“I wish I was joining them.”

“It’s better that we look after Suki. Amanda just called her a force of nature, and she’s right. But we don’t want her out of control.”

“That’s exactly what I was going to say to you.”

Ava called Xu’s cell as soon as she got back to the hotel. When he didn’t answer, she called the house.

“Auntie Grace, this is Ava.”

“He’s outside sitting by the fish pond. He’s smoking and feeding his fish.”

“Tell him to call me at the hotel or on my cell when he’s back inside.”

“No, wait. He’s been out there too long anyway. I’ll get him.”

Before Ava could argue, the line went quiet. About a minute later she heard voices in the background. What Xu was saying was indistinct, but he sounded irritated.

“Ava, did you sleep well?” he said.

“Yes, not bad. I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you.”

“Never. It’s Auntie Grace. She’s on a mission to get me to stop smoking.”

“I’ve been thinking about our talk last night,” she said.

“Me too, and I’m sorry I bothered you with it. You have enough on your plate with this new business. You don’t need the distraction.”

“What did you decide to do about your problem?”

“I called Lam this morning. I’m flying to Guangzhou tonight.”

“Did you talk to Ming in Guangdong?”

“No, I decided against it. I don’t have as good a relationship with him. Lam owes me — owes us — a lot. I’m hoping he’ll be willing to help. If that falls flat, I’ll go to Guangdong.”

“Did you tell him what you wanted?”

“Not over the phone.”

“Obviously face to face is preferable,” Ava said, and then paused. “Xu, I’d like to do some research into the Tsai family. Would you ask Feng to give me absolutely all the information he has on the companies you’re sending money to?”

“Why?”

The question was abrupt and caught her off guard. She started to frame a justification, and then stopped.

“Because I want it,” she said.

“Okay,” he said slowly.

“And while you’re away, please tell him to give me whatever else I ask for.”

“What are you up to?”

“Uncle and I always wanted to know as much as possible about the people we were dealing with.”

“You aren’t actually dealing with the Tsai family. I meant it when I said I was using you as a sounding board. You shouldn’t get involved.”

“I’m not really getting involved. I’m an interested spectator. I’ll stay on the sidelines. You never know — I might find some information you could use to improve your situation.”

“Like what?”

“I have no idea, and that’s the way it always is until I stumble upon it. There’s no guarantee, of course, that I’ll find anything at all.”

“Ava, I didn’t tell you about this problem with the intention of pulling you into it.”

“I know, and I’m really not getting pulled into it. I just want to poke around a bit. I mean, I’m in Shanghai and I have time on my hands, and I’m trained to do this kind of research. It can’t hurt.”

“Maybe not,” he said slowly.

“So call Feng for me.”

“If I do, I don’t want anyone but him, me, and you to know what you’re planning. We can’t have your name dragged into this thing.”

“I’ve actually told May what I’m thinking of doing.”

Xu paused. “I wish you hadn’t.”

“She won’t say anything to anyone. I trust her completely.”

“I know, but you have to be careful,” Xu said. “I’m not sure you understand. Tsai Men remembers your name. He mentioned it to me yesterday in Nanjing. So it would be a problem if it came up in connection with his companies or mine. He’d assume I put you up to it.”

“Why would he mention me?” Ava asked.

“It isn’t worth repeating.”

“Pang Fai said he’s a pig.”

“Then you have some idea of what he said.”

“Charming.”

“That’s the last thing he is,” Xu said. “Ava, I still don’t like this idea of yours, but I do see the possible benefits. You just need to be cautious.”

“I will be very, very careful,” Ava said.

“Okay, then I’ll talk to Feng.”

“Could you call him right away? Give him my cell number.”

“I’ll call him now.”

“Thanks, and have a safe journey. Give my regards to Lam.”

“He made a point of asking if you were coming with me. He has tremendous admiration for you.”

“We did go to war together.”

“And we won.”

Ava ended the call and went to her computer, hoping to see an email from her mother. It was the middle of the night in Toronto, and she hadn’t heard from her in what was now close to seven hours. She wrote:
I’m worried about you. Hope you’re home safely from Rama.
There were a couple of ways to interpret the word “safely” and Ava knew Jennie Lee would pick up on them both.

She then turned to a Chinese search engine and entered the name Tsai Lian. Page after page of references emerged, and every page she looked at confirmed that he was indeed an important man from an important family who held an important position.
What are you doing asking Xu to open a drug factory?
she thought. Before she could answer her own question, she heard her cellphone.

“Ava Lee,” she said.

“This is Feng.”

“Where are you?”

“At the office.”

“Did the boss tell you what I wanted?”

“He did.”

“Good. Now, what are the three Tsai companies you’re sending money to?”

He was quiet.

“There are three, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And they are?” Ava asked, slightly annoyed that she had to prod him.

“Nanjing Hallmark Consulting Company Limited, Nanjing Evergreen Trading Company Limited, and Jiangsu Gold Star Investments.”

“How is the money sent?”

“We remit monthly by wire transfer.”

“Against an invoice?”

“Always.”

“The same amounts to each?”

“Close enough.”

“How many of your companies are remitting?”

“Just three. We designated one factory for each of their companies. It keeps things simpler. The invoices come directly to me and I tell the factories how much to send, although it hasn’t varied in a while.”

“How much do you know about the companies you’re sending money to?”

“Not a lot. We have the company names and their bank account information. That’s all we need to send the wires.”

“Just a moment. Xu said that Tsai Men heads up one and that he has a sister who runs another, and her husband is with the third.”

“That’s right. They’re listed as the legal representatives, although we never actually confirmed that the sister is married.”

“Are there other individuals’ names attached to these companies?”

“Not that I know of, although I haven’t looked at the documents in a while.”

Ava again sensed reluctance, or caution, emanating from the other end of the phone.

“Feng, tell me, are you having a problem with this conversation?” she said.

He hesitated. “No.”

“Well, I think you are,” Ava said. “I’m not going to explain to you who I am. It’s enough that you know I’ve offered to help with this Tsai business and Xu has accepted my offer. If that’s an issue for you, call Xu and explain it to him.”

“I don’t have to call him. He made it clear enough.”

“So why are you behaving like this?”

“The truth is I’m scared.”

“Are you saying you’re afraid we’re going to kick a hornets’ nest?”

“No, I’m afraid you’re going to.”

“That’s the third warning I’ve received. Let me tell you what I told the others: I know how to keep my head down and I know how to be discreet.”

“I’m sorry if I sounded uncooperative.”

“Okay, let’s forget about it. How long will it take for you to get the names of all the people attached to those three companies?”

“I’ll call the bank now.”

“Speaking of our need to be cautious, do you trust the bank to keep your inquiry confidential?”

“My brother-in-law is my contact.”

“Is he completely trustworthy?”

“He took the thirty-six oaths. His only loyalty is to Xu.”

“Then please make your call and get back to me right away.”

Ava took a new notebook from her bag and wrote
The Tsai Family
across the top of the first page. When she worked with Uncle, she had kept a separate notebook for every case they took on. It was a handwritten history of the people involved, the crime committed, and the trail she had followed. She found that writing detailed information in this manner helped her thought process and gave her a permanent record. It was a habit she couldn’t break.

Ava started to write her impressions of the Tsai family on the first page of the new book. She turned back to the computer to glance at the Chinese website she’d accessed to glean information on them, and she saw that a text had finally arrived from Jennie Lee.

I’m in the car with Cindy on the way home with a big cheque from Casino Rama in my purse,
Jennie wrote.
I just sent a message to Marian saying I want to take her and the girls to Disneyland. How would you like to take a trip to Italy with me and Maria for your next birthday?

Ava blinked. Over the years her mother had had other big casino wins, and her immediate reaction was always to share. Ava knew no one as spontaneously and genuinely generous as Jennie, but even for her this was excessive. Just how much money had she won? Ava thought about asking and then dismissed the idea. Her birthday was months away, and no matter how much Jennie had won, it could likely all be lost by then. It was better not to know.

Italy sounds just wonderful
, Ava wrote.
I’ll tell Maria when I get back
.

As she sent the message, her phone rang.

“This is Feng. I just talked to my brother-in-law.”

“Did you find out what I want to know?”

“I think so. There are different principals attached to each of the Tsai companies. Tsai Men is listed as the legal representative at Hallmark Consulting. His sister, Tsai Bik, has the same position at Evergreen Trading, and her husband, Hu Chi, at Gold Star.”

“And we’re sure they’re married?”

“Like I said, we remit payment by wire transfer. When our bank created new templates a few years ago, they asked for two contact names in each company. Tsai Bik gave Hu Chi’s name, and he gave hers. My brother-in-law, who doesn’t know anything about the business arrangement, thought the cross-referencing was a bit odd and phoned their bank to see if a mistake had been made. He was told they were married and had shares in each other’s companies.”

“Does this mean they use the same bank?”

“Yes, the Founders’ Bank of Nanjing.”

“And Hallmark Consulting?”

“The same.”

“Who were the contact names for Hallmark?”

“Tsai Men and someone named Wu Bo.”

“What do we know about Wu?”

“Nothing, but I’ve already asked my brother-in-law to see what he can find.”

“How would he do that?” Ava said.

“He is going to call his contact.”

“At the Founders’ Bank?”

“I’m not sure if it’s someone who works at the bank or someone who knows someone who works there.”

“Whoever it is, it would be invaluable if we could find someone at that bank who would be prepared to share information with us about the Tsai companies. Would your brother-in-law be willing to make an approach on our behalf, without using names?”

“Names?”

“Not our names obviously, but not the Tsai name or any of the company names either. We just need to establish, in general terms, that the person on the other end is prepared to answer questions and provide us with copies of documents about bank customers — any bank customers. We’d pay, of course.”

“I’ll ask him to feel them out.”

“One last thing: what kind of information does a local bank require before it will open a company account?”

“Articles of incorporation, proof of registration, a tax number, the name of the legal representative, and some other minor stuff.”

“Would it require the names of shareholders and company officers?”

“If they get copies of the incorporation and registration, that information will be there. And our banks are very big on paperwork.”

“Good. I like it when things are well-documented.”

“Anything else?”

“Not for now. Please call your brother-in-law and get back to me as soon as you’re done talking to him.”

Ava turned the first page of the notebook and on the second sketched a small chart.

It took Feng less than an hour to get back to her, and when she heard excitement in his voice, she felt her own spirits rise.

“Huan spoke to his contact, and he thinks there’s a deal to be done,” Feng said.

“Who’s Huan?”

“My brother-in-law.”

“Sorry, I should have figured that out,” Ava said. “Does his contact work at the bank?”

“No, but the guy’s girlfriend does. His name is Zheng. I’ve met him a few times. I don’t know the girlfriend.”

“And she’ll go along with this?”

“He thinks so.”

“That sounds vague, and we can’t afford to be vague.”

“Huan says that she’s prepared to help if the price is right.”

“What kind of access to information does she have?”

“She’s quite senior. He thinks she can get anything we want.”

“Did Huan speak to her directly?”