Dawn is about to dawn in the east, and a ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds.
At the end of the crowded alley in Nan City, there was a loud cracking sound.
Looking around, I saw that most of the houses built against brick walls at the edge had collapsed, revealing a ruined scene. Walking deeper, I saw a mess on the ground.
Xiao Yuehuai squatted among the broken tiles and broken trees, staring at the bright red everywhere, her eyes losing focus.
When Qin E arrived with Qi Yue, she smelled a burnt smell mixed with fishy smell and choked and covered her nose.
After the fire burned down the neon cloth row, there were burned corpses everywhere. In addition to scattered ash and wood chips, there were also fragments of boilers used to melt silver.
Qin E felt a chill in her heart. She saw Xiao Yuehuai's depressed figure from the ruins. She quickly ran to her side and said, "Ah Huai? Are you injured?"
Xiao Yuehuai's face was ashen and her eyes were bloodshot. She turned to look at her and said in a hoarse voice: "Are you here?"
"We...were one step late again."
Hearing this weak and hoarse voice made Qin E feel uncomfortable.
Xiao Yuehuai held her hand, pointed to the charred corpses on the ground and said: "The clothes worn by these seven or eight people were not completely burned. Judging from the fragments, they were prison clothes from Dali Temple Prison. They should have been captured at Songshui Wharf. That gang of gangsters.”
"No wonder the thieves wanted to kidnap them from prison. It is estimated that they also have an identity as silver melters doing black market business."
She was calm and collected on the surface. Except for her complexion, she didn't seem to be discouraged by the burning of the Niwan Cloth Shop and the murder of the silver smelter. But the more this happened, the more Qin E became worried about her condition:
"Ah Huai, don't be too anxious, we can always find other clues."
Xiao Yuehuai curled her lips slightly, took a breath and said, "Niao Niao, you're on to the point." She held out a pair of scarred hands covered in charcoal ash, and revealed a wooden sign held in her palms.
Qi Yue, who was nearby, recognized the thing at a glance and exclaimed: "Isn't this the official order of Bai Liren, the official of the Yu Department?"
Xiao Yuehuai asked in a low voice: "When Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment set up checkpoints at the city gate and suburbs, did they stop the government team?"
Qi Yue's expression changed. She stared at the official order in her hand and said with fear: "The Ministry of Industry's transfer order to leave the city was issued half a month ago. Mining of Yunzhou copper mine is imminent, and no one dares to stop Yu Bu. Si's troops. They left the city two hours ago."
Xiao Yuehuai closed her eyes, took a deep breath and said, "How many people are there in Yubu's mining team?"
Qi Yue: "Due to the special situation this time, the mining stonemasons were personally recruited and selected by officials from the Yubu Division. There were at least a hundred people gathered together..."
Qin E was stunned: "This... doesn't this exactly match the number of people who broke into the prison?"
Xiao Yuehuai nodded: "Exactly. If they hide the broken silver under the food, grass and goods, they can get away with it."
Qi Yue's face was livid, and he turned his golden ink boots half a circle, facing the government servants who were searching around in the ruined house, and ordered: "Notify Dali Temple immediately! Gather people and get out of the city!"
Eight or nine men responded in unison and quickly formed a team to leave. Qi Yue followed closely, grabbing the saddle with one hand, flying into the air, straddling the horse steadily, raising his long whip and galloping away.
Qin E clenched her hands tightly and said angrily: "It's been two hours, I wonder if I can still catch up?"
Xiao Yuehuai slowly walked out of the ruins, stood on the brick wall and looked at the alley, and said lightly: "From the moment they left the city, it was already too late, and it was useless to catch up. The silver transported out by Bailiren must be Already hidden."
Qin E said with hope: "I can't find the silver. Maybe Qi Yue can find some other traces?"
Xiao Yuehuai shook her head: "It's unlikely."
"However, now is not the time to discuss this. Niao Niao, I estimated that the amount of charcoal purchased by Niwan Bu Company is not enough to re-melt all 170,000 taels of silver into broken silver. Calculated based on time, they can only Half of it should be the one that Bailiren brought out. So... the remaining silver should still be hidden in Jinling City."
Qin E said in shock: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Now that the people from the Criminal Department and Dali Temple have left the city, who should we look for to investigate?"
Xiao Yuehuai said nothing, staring in the direction of the market entrance, as if waiting for someone.
Half an hour flew by.
The red sun shines on the blue sky, and the streets of Jinling are getting warm accordingly. The vendors in Nanshi set up their stalls one after another.
The dust in front of the square shook, and there seemed to be the sound of horse hooves. Zou Yongzhi, a member of the Ministry of War, led a group of soldiers towards the cloth bank.
After the man dismounted, he ran straight towards Xiao Yuehuai and said with a bow and a bow: "Your Highness the Princess. I sent people to check the rivers and waterways in various parts of Jinling, and found the disaster relief silver sunk in the water under the trestle of Fengyi Port."
"Feng Yi Port?" Xiao Yuehuai was surprised, "I didn't expect it to be there."
"I would like to thank Mr. Zhi Fang for your help in today's matter. Could you please transfer the relief money you found to the Ministry of Justice for disposal."
Zou Yong smiled directly, bowed respectfully and said: "How dare you thank the princess? The things that Master Shangshu personally ordered are my internal affairs. I am just doing my duty."
After saying this, the man in official robes and Confucian clothes crossed his hands and saluted again: "If the princess has no other instructions, I will leave first."
Xiao Yuehuai acquiesced without saying a word.
A group of people come and go in a hurry.
Qin E stepped forward in two steps, stood beside her and said: "I see. Is this why you didn't stop Qi Yue from leaving the city? Only when the Criminal Department and Dali Temple leave Jinling at the same time to track Baili Ren, will the thieves let down their guard."
"If you order the Ministry of War's Map Director to conduct a secret search at this time, you can find the silver coins hidden by the thieves? But...how did you come up with the idea of searching the rivers and waterways?"
Xiao Yuehhuai: "There are soldiers and horses everywhere in the city. If you want to wait for the news to pass before transporting the money away, you will be safe by hiding it under the water."
Qin E looked carefully and sorted it out, then nodded unconsciously and said: "Indeed, the government usually pays attention to the ships going to and from the port terminals, and few people look for it underwater. Under the trestle is the best place to hide silver."
"But...you are seeking help from the Ministry of War, aren't you afraid that Lu Pingsheng will hear about it?"
Xiao Yuehuai's expression darkened: "Although he is the right minister of the Ministry of War, he has no real power at the moment. Besides, Zou Yongzhi has been a confidant promoted by my grandfather. He has a rigorous tone and is reliable, so I can safely let him go."
"But the remaining half of the disaster relief money has been found, and the Lu family should know the news soon."
Qin E frowned as hard as a mountain, crossed her arms and said, "Speaking of which, why on earth did Mr. Lu waste so much effort to grab this disaster relief money?"
The question was raised, causing Xiao Yuehuai to fall into deep thought.
In his previous life, when Lu Pingsheng raised an army to rebel against Chongqing, he had a brave and powerful army in his hands, and Dayu was defeated and fled within half a month. The number of soldiers and the exquisiteness of swords and weapons are jaw-dropping.
Xiao Yuehuai always felt that it was strange. Even if the Lu family took action in the name of supporting the Zhou Dynasty, it would not be possible for them to accumulate such strong troops and sufficient ordnance in the two years after Chongqing destroyed Zhou Dynasty.
The only possibility is that the Lu family secretly recruited and strengthened their troops before Da Yu destroyed the Zhou Dynasty.
