In the fourth year of Xingqing, in early spring, at the third watch, there was a grass market outside Wulin Gate in Lin'an City.
There are tens of thousands of Caoshi along the river, with dense residents, numerous shops and shops, and prosperous trade. It is no different from the original urban area within Lin'an City, or even more lively. The houses in the grass market are of different heights and densely packed, and the streets are as dense as a net. It is also a good place for committing crimes.
The world was shrouded in darkness and gloom, there were no passers-by on the streets, the cold wind howled, the branches swayed, and fallen leaves swayed from the trees from time to time. Coldness and loneliness filled the night.
At the entrance of the "Sunjia Liang Store" at the end of the street, two white lanterns were blown left and right by the wind, and the dim yellow light swayed up and down, illuminating a palm-sized area of the store entrance.
"Have you figured it all out? You can't go wrong, right?"
In a corner, dozens of black figures stood crouched, and the leading figure asked a person next to him.
"Don't worry! Mayor Cao, no matter how brave I am, I won't dare to lie to you! This place has been idle for a long time. We need to take action early to prevent them from escaping again!"
The respondent lowered his voice, vowed, and did not forget to remind him.
"Remember! You don't know anything, so be careful with your mouth!"
Mayor Cao faced the black shadow and gave instructions seriously.
We have been conducting overt and covert inspections for half a year, and we have been fishing for big fish for a long time. We have both open and covert lines, so we can't make the slightest mistake.
"Don't worry, Mayor Cao, I still want to live for two more years! But be careful, these guys are very vicious and they have tricks in their hands, so be careful!"
During the Song Dynasty, swords, spears and spears were sold openly. Although there were audit regulations, it was inevitable that the swords, spears and weapons would flow into the hands of people with ulterior motives in various ways and be used to commit crimes.
"Dong Er, I'm interested."
Mayor Cao took out a stack of money and handed it to Dong Er, who thanked him profusely and carefully packed the money.
Mayor Cao turned his head and whispered softly to another black figure squatting next to him.
"Hong Xianggong, you don't have to do these little things at all. Don't you feel relieved that I am leading the imperial army to do things?"
Mayor Cao, whose surname is Cao, was forced to retire due to a leg injury in the northwest battlefield, so he took the position of deputy mayor of Renhe Town, Renhe County, Lin'an Prefecture, in charge of the security of the town.
As for the "town" government agency of Renhe Town, it is obviously a new product of the new township-level institutions under the new emperor's rule.
"Mayor Cao, it's not that I'm not worried, but the counterfeit currency is of great importance and related to the country. His Majesty is watching from behind, so I have to come over. You don't know, Director Xu hasn't rested yet. He is in the Anti-Corruption Department Yamen Waiting for our news, I am afraid that we will report the counterfeit currency to the emperor!"
Hong Tianxi, a new Jinshi in the second year of Xingqing, finally followed the emperor's advice and joined the Anti-Corruption Department, working under Xu Liang, the head of the Anti-Corruption Branch of Zhejiang and Zhejiang.
"So that's it!"
Cao Yi was taken aback and then became serious.
"Don't worry, Mr. Hong, we will uproot these guys this time!"
The emperor personally intervened, no wonder the imperial army was dispatched. There are so many court officials watching, but you have to stay alert.
Dong Er on the side could hear clearly and was secretly sweating. Unexpectedly, the Supreme Emperor of the Ninth Five-Year Plan also focused on the matter of counterfeit coins. These guys who make counterfeit coins are going to be in bad luck.
If I had known this was the case, I should have asked Cao Yiduo for some reward money.
Cao Yi looked at the sky and whispered.
"Instruct everyone to prepare to arrest people. Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"
As the military order was passed, countless Forbidden troops armed with guns and bows appeared from the darkness, like ghosts. They quickly surrounded the "Sun Family Grain Store", clinging to the wall and blending into the night.
Cao Yi limped to the door of the store and waved coldly. Some forbidden soldiers carefully climbed up the wall from the darkness.
"who……"
The imperial guards jumped off the wall, and finally surprised the men on guard in the courtyard. One of them asked, and the two of them grabbed their knives and guns together, raising their vigilance.
A "whoosh" sound was heard, and several crossbow arrows were fired at them. The two of them were hit by arrows in their chests and throats and fell down in response. The Forbidden Army squatted in the courtyard and stood ready. It seemed that the howling wind covered up the sound of crossbows and falling to the ground, and did not arouse the alertness of the people in the room.
The store door was opened, the Imperial Guards filed into the yard, and the store door was gently closed again.
The Forbidden Army entered the courtyard, and two rows of Forbidden Army crossbowmen stood guard in the courtyard. The front row squatted, and the back row stood, with their crossbows raised flat, and their sharp arrows pointed at the main room. Other forbidden troops moved forward to the main room, some holding long spears, and some holding thunderbolts to unscrew the iron cover.
Mayor Cao and Hong Tianxi entered the courtyard, and two corpses were clearly visible in the courtyard. They were obviously the security personnel who were shot dead.
Mayor Cao nodded, and several forbidden soldiers came outside the main room and stood close to both sides of the door.
The grain store occupies a large area, with debris piled up in the front and back yards, and a two-story main house in the middle spanning from east to west. The house was brightly lit, but because the walls, doors, and windows were covered with black cloth, it was almost impossible to see anything going on inside.
"Hurry up! It's almost dawn!"
In the room, a scribe in his forties whispered to the busy men and women, his face gloomy.
He couldn't help but be nervous when doing such a head-turning thing.
The long table in front of him was filled with stacks of huizi. On the huizi, there were five big characters: "Xing Zai Hui Zi Ku", "Da Yi Guan Wen Sheng", "Order to Forge Hui Zi Prisoners' Department" "Behead..." etc. are written clearly.
Some men and women are carefully sifting, sorting, and bundling neatly, with clear division of labor and orderly manner.
In various places in the room, some sturdy men were holding sharp knives and watching eagerly, supervising every move of everyone in the room.
"Hurry up! Don't be lazy!"
A tall man with a dignified appearance, a green robe and a black mantou then whispered softly and came over to comfort the scribe.
"Master Li, you guys have been staying up late these days and are all tired. Please be more patient."
"Sun Er, there's nothing I can do. Someone from above is urging me. The government is pursuing the case closely, so I have to be careful."
As he said this, the scribe sat down, and Sun Er quickly gave the scribe some hot tea.
"Master Li, don't worry! This place is remote and you are very careful, so nothing will go wrong!"
"I hope so. For some reason, my right eye has been twitching these past few days, which makes me very nervous!"
Officer Li picked up the tea and drank it slowly and absentmindedly.
"Li Daguan has more than 300,000 yuan, which is quite a lot. Above..."
Sun Er whispered softly and pointed to the second floor.
The people here probably have some backgrounds.
"Sun Er, do your errand, take your share, don't ask, and don't meddle in other people's business. Asking too many questions will not do you any good."
Official Li frowned, and Sun Er nodded repeatedly and stopped talking.
Li Daguan glanced at the door.
"Sun Er, go out and take a look for yourself, I always feel a little uneasy!"
Sun Er quickly agreed. As soon as he walked to the door, there was a knock on the door, followed by a low voice.
"Second brother, it's cold outside, give me some hot tea."
"These bastards are so naughty!"
Sun Er picked up the teapot from the briquette stove on the side of the door, took the bowl, went over and opened the door.
"...Hurry...Run..."
The teapot and teacup in Sun's hands fell to the ground. The word "run" was hoarse, and he was kicked down and fell to the ground.
"Don't move! Everyone get down!"
"Death to those who resist!"
The door was knocked open, and the Forbidden Army poured in. They rushed to every corner of the room in groups. Some of the Forbidden Army's crossbows fired, and the strong men holding sharp blades fell to the ground. Some Imperial Guards rushed to the second floor, stabbing and shooting down everyone who was standing without mercy.
At the same time that Sun Er was kicked down, Li Daguan stood up and rushed to the back door behind him like a rabbit. As soon as the door was opened, he was forced back by several bright gun heads and squatted on the ground.
"Have mercy! We are just helping Yin Huizi, but they are forcing us to do so!"
"We are all innocent! Spare our lives!"
The imperial guards looked fierce, and some people in the room begged for mercy.
"Squat down! If you say no more, shoot to death!"
The Imperial Guards were unmoved and the air-conditioning was intense.
On the second floor, there were constant screams and fights. It seemed like someone broke a window and jumped off the building, followed by screams from the backyard. The men and women squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands, including Li Daguan, all had pale faces and did not dare to express their anger.
The Forbidden Army was blocking the way from all directions, and there was no way to escape except flying to the sky and escaping to the ground.
The fighting finally came to an end. Mayor Cao and Hong Tianxi entered the room. Hong Tianxi came to the table, picked up a scattered brand new paper, took a look at it, and snorted coldly.
It is clearly written on the meeting that "Forgers will be punished." These people are so bold that they are driven by interests and take risks.
Looking at these printed huizi, I'm afraid there must be hundreds of thousands of them.
"Mayor Cao, there are more above!"
Several forbidden soldiers came down from the second floor, carrying several cloth bags, and opened them in front of Mayor Cao and Hong Tianxi. They were full of printed huizi. Following several well-dressed men, they were escorted down.
"Manager Yang, long time no see!"
Hong Tianxi looked at the steward of the famous "Yang's Gold and Silver Shop" in Lin'an City and said coldly.
This person did not know him, but he knew this person well.
The dignified "Yang's Gold and Silver Shop" deals in coins and even buys counterfeit coins. It knows the law and breaks the law. I'm afraid it's going to end.
"Spare your life! Spare your life!"
Manager Yang's face turned pale, he muttered to himself, and collapsed on the ground.
"Master Li, your porcelain shop is full of shoddy products, and now you are also selling counterfeit money. Have you ever thought about how your wife, children, and children will make a living in the future?"
Hong Tianxi turned his eyes to Mr. Li Daguan, shook his head and sighed. Mr. Li knelt down and kowtowed, making a "bang bang" sound.
"Shang Guan, have mercy on me! I'll do it all! I'll do it all! It's Inspector Liu who is buying and selling counterfeit coins, I'm just an errand boy!"
"Master Li, when you go back, confess your guilt and strive for leniency. The greater your merits, the lighter your guilt!"
Hong Tianxi waved his hand, and the Imperial Guard took Li Daguan aside.
"Ms. Hong, this is the Huizi copper plate!"
Mayor Cao took the forged copper plate and handed it to Hong Tianxi with a happy face.
"Mayor Cao, bring all the papers, paper, paints, printing machines, etc. back to the Anti-Corruption Department Office!"
Hong Tianxi held the copper plate and whispered.
The imperial guards escorted the prisoners out, and it was already dark.
Looking at the gradually brightening sky in the east, Hong Tianxi let out a sigh of relief.
The counterfeit currency case finally came to an explanation to the emperor.
I heard that the emperor was going to set up a bank to deal with counterfeit currency, but I don’t know if it’s true or not?
