Three days have passed since the Lantern Festival.
Zhou Jun rode to the gate of Shangyang Palace and could still see some remains of the Taishang Xuanyuan Zhenxian Lantern Tower in the courtyard.
The dark charred wood and countless scattered debris made the huge lantern venue look like a ruins.
Zhou Jun came to Shangyang Palace today to say goodbye to Luo Nandou, who was serving as the prisoner.
Entering the craftsman's camp, Zhou Jun immediately saw Luo Nandou on the steps. The latter was sitting there blankly, looking at the ruins of the lantern tower.
Zhou Jun walked over, bowed his hands and said, "Fire and fire are unpredictable. I would like to ask Young Supervisor Luo to keep an eye on such disasters."
Luo Nandou smiled reluctantly and waved to Zhou Jun to sit down and talk to him.
Zhou Jun sat aside as he was told.
Luo Nandou: "The result of the fire came out. There were flaws in the design of the lantern tower, coupled with the improper operation of Master Mao Shun and a group of craftsmen on the night of the Lantern Festival, which caused the fire."
Zhou Jun: "This is... the conclusion given by He Si?"
Luo Nandou: "The Ministry of Industry and the Yushitai."
Zhou Jun: "The general supervisor did not participate in the investigation?"
Luo Nandou shook his head and said: "The supervisor wanted to assist in the investigation, but unexpectedly the Ministry of Works denied it. He only said that it was to prevent concealment of the inside story and not allow other ministries to intervene in the matter."
Zhou Jun nodded after hearing this and thought to himself, it seems that the officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Yushitai responsible for investigating the Denglou fire were bribed by An Lushan.
Luo Nandou: "The lamp tower burned down, and my official status was reprimanded by the court and fined with salary. These are small things. It's just a pity that Master Mao Shun and more than 20 craftsmen were buried in the sea of fire. This is the Tang Dynasty."
What a pity.”
Zhou Jun nodded, first sighed a few words, and then talked about his upcoming return to Chang'an.
Luo Nandou said goodbye and made an agreement with Zhou Jun to come to Luo's house as a guest when they get together in Chang'an again.
Coming out of Shangyang Palace, Zhou Jun got on his horse, took one last look at the gate of Shangyang Palace, and then rode his horse towards the south.
When he arrived at the Censor's Palace, Zhou Jun reported the fish talisman to the porter, sent the horses, and then came to Liu Zai's house.
After knocking on the door, Zhou Jun walked in.
Liu Zai was holding a wooden stick with one hand and holding on to the wall with the other. Although his movements were still difficult, his complexion was obviously much better than before.
Seeing Zhou Jun, Liu Zai said with a smile: "Erlang is here. Look, it won't take long before I can go to the ground normally."
Zhou Jun congratulated.
Liu Zai sat down at the table, threw away the wooden stick, rubbed his legs again, and asked: "Is there any progress in the Silla Luo sale case?"
When Zhou Jun heard this, he just shook his head slightly.
Liu Zai asked: "There is still no whereabouts of Liu Xiaoxian?"
Zhou Jun: "Maybe she left Luoyang?"
Liu Zai: "That would be troublesome."
At this moment, there was another knock on the door.
Liu Zai and Zhou Jun looked at each other, and the former said: "Please come in."
A tall man opened the door and entered the room.
When Zhou Jun saw the coming person, he was startled and blurted out: "Yang joins the army?"
Yang Zhao was a little surprised at first when he saw Zhou Jun was also in the room, but he quickly greeted him calmly and said, "Zhao has moved to the Yushitai and became the supervisory censor."
After Zhou Jun heard this, he carefully recalled that in the history books, Yang Guozhong did serve as a supervisory censor for a period of time after serving as Jinwu Bingcao and joining the army.
Yang Zhao cupped his hands towards Liu Zai and said, "Zhao is new here and has met Liu Yushi."
Liu Zai returned the gift, but he was confused, why did Yang Zhao come to him?
Yang Zhao added: "Yu Yushi solved the Silla betrayal case and rescued dozens of Silla women. For such great achievements, the province has already issued a relocation order, and I am afraid it will be issued soon."
Liu Zai: "How can the Silla case be solved? The key witness in this case, Liu Xiaoxian, is still on the run. Only by finding her can we find the culprit behind this case..."
Yang Zhao interrupted Liu Zai and said: "Shangguan has given full responsibility for the investigation of this case to Zhao. Liu Yushi can rest in peace and recover from his injuries."
When Liu Zai heard this, he opened his eyes wide and asked, "Is this going to be your responsibility? Why have I never heard of this?"
Yang Zhao: "These days, Liu Yushi is injured and sick, so naturally he doesn't know what's going on outside."
Liu Zai wanted to ask again, but Zhou Jun stopped him and said, "When I was in Chang'an, I once met Yang Yushi. He was extremely intelligent and careful in his work. The saints also praised him as a capable man."
Hearing Zhou Jun's compliment, Yang Zhao felt proud and smiled.
Zhou Jun said to Liu Zai: "Yi Kuang can rest in peace and recover from his injuries. This Silla Luo sold the case and can safely hand it over to Yang Yushi."
Liu Zai glanced at Zhou Jun, gritted his teeth, cupped his hands towards Yang Zhao, and stopped talking.
After Yang Zhao walked out of the room, Liu Zai asked Zhou Jun: "Then Yang Yushi has just taken office and is not familiar with the case. How can he investigate the case?"
Zhou Jun said: "It doesn't matter whether he is familiar with the case or not. The key is whether Shangguan wants to continue investigating the case?"
Liu Zai heard the hidden meaning of Zhou Jun's words, figured out the twists and turns, formed a fist with his right hand, and smashed it on the table with hatred.
Zhou Jun stood up, comforted Liu Zai for a few words, and then went out and left the official residence.
Mounting his horse, Zhou Jun cautiously marched through the market, making several circles, and after repeatedly making sure that no one was following him, he arrived at the mansion given to him by Fan Jinian.
Zhou Jun got off his horse and gently knocked on the door.
After a long time, there was a sound from behind the door. Huayue opened the door a crack, looked around first, and then pulled Zhou Jun in with his horse.
After handing the horse to Hua Yue, Zhou Jun went to the back compartment and found Mao Shun hiding there, as well as the twenty or so craftsmen.
Zhou Jun first told Mao Shun and the craftsmen: "The Ministry of Industry and the Yushitai concluded that the Shangyuan lantern caused the fire due to poor design and improper operation. All the craftsmen working inside that night were killed in the flames."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.
This conclusion means that neither Mao Shun nor the craftsmen need to worry about being charged as fugitives.
After Mao Shun thought carefully, he asked Zhou Jun: "Mr. Zhou, after thinking about it, I always feel that something is wrong. On the night of the Yuan Dynasty, although dozens of people were indeed burned to death in the lamp tower, as long as the widower went to do the autopsy,
If they could find that those people were not us, why would the Ministry of Industry and the Yushitai conclude that we were buried in the flames?"
Zhou Jun: "Because the officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Yushitai responsible for investigating the fire have been bribed, they had to conceal the identities of the assassins, so they reported the bodies of those people as you."
Hua Yue came over and asked, "If this happens, wouldn't Master Mao Shun and these craftsmen no longer be able to show their faces?"
Zhou Jun nodded and said: "Master Mao Shun, and all the craftsmen, if you go out and are seen by others, you will either be silenced or arrested and held responsible for the burning of Shangyuan Lantern Tower. In short, Luoyang is definitely not a place to live.
Already."
Mao Shun said calmly: "I don't want to stay here anymore. It's better to find a place where I won't be discriminated against and have no worries. As for the craftsmen under me, they are all old guys who have been with me for more than ten years.
Everyone has received more or less favor from me in the past, and they are all reliable people."
Listening to the response of the craftsmen, Zhou Jun said to Mao Shun: "Tomorrow I will rent a few large cars and we will go back to Chang'an together. I will write a letter in advance and ask people to wait in Baqiao Village before taking you with me.
Arrive at Huining. There is a teahouse there. You can stay for the time being and make other plans after this storm has passed."
Mao Shun nodded and said, "Everything is at Erlang's discretion."
next chapter
This chapter has been completed!