Qi Xianzong stood far away and did not look at Feng Ziying's behavior at all.
Feng Ziying didn't seem to care and kept collecting the entire wooden cabinet. Finally, Feng Ziying stepped on the foundation of the rosewood cabinet with her foot, then tilted her head and said, "Xianzong, have someone come and lift this wooden cabinet away."
Immediately, two soldiers came over and lifted the wooden cabinet away. Feng Ziying's eyes fell on the dusty stone slab below. It seemed no different from the surrounding stone slabs, but there were a few vague fingers on the edge closest to the wall. Seal, Feng Ziying looked at it carefully and then tapped it with her finger.
Nothing unusual was heard, but someone soon handed over a thin iron ruler. Feng Ziying carefully scratched along the base of the wall for a while. The gap between the wall seams that should have been smoothed with rice juice paste was opened.
Feng Ziying then inserted an iron piece into it and pried it gently, and the stone slab became slightly loose.
Feng Ziying pried hard, and the slate was finally opened. Feng Ziying carefully moved the slate away. There was a two-foot-square space inside, and a jewelry box was placed inside.
Feng Ziying took a deep breath and took out the jewelry box. The lock was very delicate. Feng Ziying pinched it with her fingers and twisted it, and it fell off. Maybe the lock was not used to lock people, but just a symbolic one. of.
Open the lid and a stack of banknotes is placed on the left side.
Feng Ziying picked up one and opened it, looking slightly moved. It was a 200,000 tael silver note from Haitong Yinzhuang. There are three silver notes worth one hundred thousand taels below. The situation is similar, but they do not belong to a bank.
On the right side were several letters, about four or five. Feng Ziying did not read any more, but opened the banknotes and letters on the top. There was a thin booklet on the bottom. Feng Ziying took it out, took a look, and took a breath. , close directly.
After handing the tools to Feng Ziying, Qi Xianzong and his soldiers retreated to a distance.
Qi Xianzong knew very well the reason why Feng Ziying looked here instead of the cellar. It was obvious that Feng Ziying valued not only money and money, but also letters and accounts.
The water here is too deep, and it is not for a military attache like him to intervene. It is best not to know whether he knows.
The banknotes and Feng Ziying were put together. Feng Ziying thought about it and simply took out some of the letters and accounts above, but kept the letters and accounts in the jewelry box in the secret compartment.
The matter was of great importance, and if he was not careful, it would become a powerful bomb that would blow up the officialdom of Jiangnan and even the people in the capital city. He had to act cautiously.
There are some things that even the censors should not see, and Feng Ziying still has to think carefully about whether Sun Dingxiang and Yang Lian are suitable to see them.
The attention of the two censors was drawn to the cellar behind the attic. When Feng Ziying passed by, the two censors glanced at the jewelry box in Feng Ziying's hand calmly, and Feng Ziying nodded in agreement.
The two censors blinked and moved their eyebrows, and also slightly nodded their heads to express their understanding. The stone door of the cellar here has been opened, and it can be seen that it has been treated with moisture-proof treatment. Underneath, a dark ditch has been dug and overhead boards have been laid.
The two censors had been waiting at the door. They waited until the sergeants pried open the door and went in to take a look. Then they motioned to Feng Ziying to enter first.
The cellar is not big, but it is not small either. It is a bit crowded to accommodate three or five people, but you can get a general idea.
Two huge boxes were placed against the wall. They were probably boxes used by women from wealthy families to carry dowries when they got married. They were painted red and looked very luxurious.
Feng Ziying entered first, walked to the box, opened the lid, and under the light of the torch, the beads and jade rings in the box were so dazzling that Feng Ziying couldn't help but cover her eyes with her hands, tilted her head and changed the angle. See clearly.
Basically, they are all kinds of jewelry, including jade bracelets and pendants, necklaces and collars, hairpins, gold and silver headdresses, and some items such as jade bis and jade pendants, among which gold, jade, and beads are the most common. Silver is less.
Opening the lid of the other box, the contents were roughly the same.
Feng Ziying nodded. With so many jewels and different styles, it is conceivable that most of them are stolen goods. But I don’t know that the Tang family has Tianshun Jewelry Shop in the capital city that can sell them. Why don’t they do it?
? There are still some problems here most of the year.
The other thing is a bunch of large wooden boxes stacked on top of each other.
Feng Ziying signaled two sailors to carry a box down. The two sailors carried the box over with great difficulty and opened the lid. The golden light was dazzling and filled with yellow light.
All gold ingots, two specifications. Feng Ziying reached out and picked up a large one, about fifty taels, and the small one was estimated to be about twenty taels.
There were at least seventy or eighty items in one box, which was estimated to weigh around three hundred kilograms. No wonder the two strong sailors found it a bit difficult.
Feng Ziying estimated that this box of gold was about three hundred kilograms, which is equivalent to more than thirty thousand taels of silver. Now the price of gold has risen, and the exchange rate for silver has gradually increased from one to twelve five or six years ago. To close to about one to thirteen, about twelve point eight.
In other words, if this box of gold is calculated as three hundred kilograms, it will be equivalent to thirty-eight thousand taels of silver. If these seven or eight boxes are filled with gold, it will probably be equivalent to more than two hundred thousand taels. Three hundred thousand taels of silver.
Although there were hundreds of thousands of taels of silver notes piled up in the wooden cabinets and jewelry boxes just now, they were silver notes after all. Compared with the gold ingots that were shining brightly in front of me, they were still a little less interesting. This kind of The visual stimulation is far beyond what a bank note can match.
Feng Ziying signaled to carry another box down. The soldiers acted immediately and brought another box over. Feng Ziying opened it and found the same pile of gold ingots. The weight was probably about the same. Feng Ziying stopped looking and signaled to cover it.
"My lords, I estimate that these seven or eight boxes should all contain gold ingots. When the time comes, we will have to count and register them one by one, which will be very hard for you two."
The two censors were stunned and speechless for a moment.
The mansions of officials have not been raided before, but most of them contain land deeds, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and banknotes. Even if there is gold and silver, it is mainly silver ingots and silver cakes. Like this, they are all gold. Yuanbao is so dazzling that it really makes people feel excited and unable to extricate themselves.
"Don't worry, sir. This is the duty of a lower official, and it should be so." A censor responded quickly.
Feng Ziying walked to the other side again. This side was mainly filled with groceries.
Several leather bags were piled up together. Feng Ziying opened the mouth of the bag and saw that they were all top-quality Dongwu jade. One bag was estimated to weigh several hundred kilograms, and these bags of jade were estimated to weigh thousands of kilograms.
Jade? Feng Ziying pondered.
Dongwu jade has always been the favorite of various jewelry shops. Both men and women in Zhou Dynasty like jade, especially bracelets, necklaces, waist chains, anklets, and pendants carved from top-quality jade. They are all extremely popular. I don’t know if this batch of Where did the goods come from? Most of them were obtained at sea.
After fiddling with several bags of jade, Feng Ziying motioned to the two censors to take a look, and then focused on several other slightly smaller silk bags.
Lifting a bag and opening the rope at the mouth of the bag, the diffuse pearly light floats slowly like a layer of dark light and shadow, overflowing with light and color, which makes people intoxicated.
These are South Sea black pearls. There may be hundreds in a bag! Feng Ziying couldn't help but take a breath in her heart.
A high-quality South Sea black pearl costs between eighty taels and two hundred taels. If it is made into jewelry such as necklaces, anklets, waist chains, and Xia Peng, the same size of black pearls are needed, and the price will be more expensive. .
The price of a thirty or fifty black pearl bracelet or necklace alone is only five thousand to ten thousand taels of silver, but if you choose beads of the same size to make a piece of jewelry, the price will immediately double. It is possible to get up to two to thirty thousand taels or even forty to fifty thousand taels.
Feng Ziying shook her head. As soon as she took off the silk bag, she looked at several other silk bags.
One bag is still full of black pearls, while the other bag is filled with Japanese sea pearls. The price of Japanese sea pearls is much cheaper, one bag is only one to twenty taels.
There was also a silk bag that contained relatively few pearls, but they were Eastern pearls produced in Liaodong. They were large and round, and also expensive, no cheaper than black pearls.
There is also a bag of agate, which should come from Liaodong.
Seeing all these miscellaneous things makes people feel restless, even the two censors and Qi Xianzong are worried.
They are all a little moved.
Gold and silver make people's eyes red, and wealth and silk touch people's hearts. The ancients were honest and never deceived.
Feng Ziying couldn't quite figure out the value of these bags of pearl agate, but it was at least two to three hundred thousand taels of silver.
Shaking his head, Feng Ziying calmed down. Feng Ziying walked to the end. There were two wooden boxes. He opened them and took a look. A special aroma came to his nostrils. It was ambergris.
Feng Ziying was really impressed.
This group of Japanese pirates' lair can actually find so many things. It has to be said that once these powerful people and the government collude with the bandits, they will really be unfavorable.
It’s no wonder that although the profits of sea trade are huge, the risks are also huge. Not to mention the changing sea situation, the ship may be destroyed at any time and people may be killed, and they may also encounter such bandit attacks. It is really not easy.
The other wooden box is also spiced, but it should be musk.
Feng Ziying was too lazy to look further. Anyway, the things that allowed these Japanese pirates to hide in the cellar would definitely not be cheap.
"You two, that's the general situation. Haha, plus what was found in the attic, it's quite a harvest." Feng Ziying spread her hands, then turned around, "Long Jinwei and the Marine Battalion can come to do the inventory. We also need to I have troubled you two for a while, and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief when the inventory is clear and it needs to be sealed. However,
Qi Xianzong had already looked over and hesitated to speak.
Feng Ziying pretended not to know, but glanced at the two censors, while Long Jinwei, a hundred households, also lowered his eyebrows and remained silent.
The two censors also understood. After hesitating for a moment, they still whispered: "Master Feng, we all fought bloody battles. It's hard work and it's not easy. We all support your decision.
