Chapter 45

When the stacks of hundred-yuan bills came into view, both men knew the situation had turned serious. At that time, the currency primarily in circulation was the third series of the renminbi, with a maximum denomination of 10 yuan. The fourth series was not widely issued until April 27, 1987. Handong was not a pilot province for the fourth series, which meant this clearly wasn't just a regular street brawl; it was an inter-provincial case involving a "black-on-black" robbery. Under normal circumstances, such a thing wouldn't have rattled Director Qi. However, Qi Tongwei was fixated on the self-admission of Li Gang, a "big tiger" who would eventually be exposed in 2004. Li had once confessed that the first batch of dirty money he ever encountered was an accidental seizure of 2.4 million yuan, which he had secretly hoarded for ten years.