When the officials from the Ministry of Punishment heard what Mr. Liu said, they thought he was trying to make things difficult for Xiao Tongluo named Xu. They took pleasure in his misfortune and decided that if anything Xu Qi'an said was wrong, he would immediately attack him and make him lose face.

Scholars are actually very good at fighting, but not in terms of force.

The officials and police officers of the government held a wait-and-see attitude, not caring what clues this reckless gong could give. However, they were surprised to find that Mr. Fu Yin had stopped wandering, stopped slightly, and appeared to be listening attentively.

posture.

Lu Qing whispered: "Have you forgotten? Xu Qian, Xu Qian from the tax and bank case."

After her reminder, everyone in the government office suddenly woke up and remembered Xu Qi'an.

No wonder the name sounded familiar to me just now. It turned out to be the quickie who turned the tide in the tax bank case and solved the mystery of counterfeit banknotes.

Well, now it's time for the watchman's gong.

No wonder His Majesty appointed him as the presiding officer of the yamen. It was only then that the yamen officials really came to their senses.

"There is indeed something gained!" Xu Qian nodded.

He didn't want to say it at first, because the Ministry of Justice and the government were both competitors, and there was no reason to share the clues with these idiots.

But just now he noticed the young eunuch taking notes and the people from the Ministry of Justice and the government office communicating without hesitation, Xu Qian suddenly realized that this might be an opportunity to show off.

Show it to His Majesty the Emperor.

Not surprisingly, this transcript was to be handed over to the emperor for review. Just imagine, Emperor Yuan Jing read the transcript and found that both the Ministry of Punishment and the government office were actively discussing, giving clues, and working hard to solve the case, but the official office was silent.

.

What would he think?

Although sharing information is a bit of a loss, the credit has been recorded on paper.

"I have a few questions regarding Captain Lu's speculation." Xu Qian and others looked over and said in an orderly manner:

"I went to Sangbo this morning to check it out. If I want to blow up the entire Yongzhen Shanhe Temple and the high platform, it would require an extremely large amount of gunpowder."

"Yes, what's the problem?" Lu Qing also went to Sangbo to inspect the scene.

"Here comes the problem. As you just said, gunpowder is a strategic material that the imperial court attaches great importance to. All kinds of confidentiality and anti-theft measures are very strict and complete. It is very difficult to smuggle out these gunpowder, let alone erase the corresponding traces.

?" Xu Qian said:

"What kind of person do you think could do this?"

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment: "The Minister of the Ministry of Industry, or the two ministers."

Everyone was shocked, even the little eunuch who lowered his head to record paused.

Xu Qian nodded: "If it is the Minister of the Ministry of Industry and the two ministers, then everything is reasonable. With their skill and ability, it is not impossible to bribe the palace servants or the officials of the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Rites. But, is this right?

Too stupid?"

Lu Qing frowned: "You mean..."

Xu Qian said: "Smuggling gunpowder on such a scale, no matter how clean the hands and feet are, it will not withstand inspection. I believe that those who can become ministers and ministers are not so stupid."

Lu Qing nodded: "Since it's not them, then besides the Ministry of Industry, where else can provide so much gunpowder?"

Xu Qian asked: "Is it possible that it was brought in from outside the city?"

Lu Qing shook his head: "Let's not talk about the outer city. The inner city will charge a tax for entering the city, and the soldiers guarding the city will check the goods. This is even more impossible in the imperial city. How can something as conspicuous as gunpowder be smuggled in? Unless it is transported in.

It’s raw materials, not gunpowder…”

Lu Qing and Xu Qi'an were reasoning as if no one else was watching, and there was no need for anyone else to interrupt. Eunuch Liu was not in a hurry and listened patiently.

The young eunuch who was responsible for taking notes moved his pen like flying, writing faster and faster.

What was transported was not gunpowder, but raw materials. Among the raw materials of gunpowder, sulfur and charcoal were not precious things. Especially in winter, the capital's charcoal consumption was very terrible... but saltpeter was something strictly controlled by Da Feng...

.While Xu Qian was thinking, a lightning flashed through his mind.

"Saltpeter mine!?" He stared at Lu Qing with wide eyes.

The female catcher's delicate face was stunned for a moment, then she understood and exclaimed: "Saltpeter mine!!"

The two people's faces were full of shock. On the other side, Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao looked at each other, and their expressions changed slightly.

The four of them personally surveyed the Dahuang Mountains and discovered saltpeter mines there.

Lu Qing calmed down his shocked emotions, various thoughts flashed through his mind, and new doubts arose: "If it is really what they did, what happened to the nine missing people?"

Xu Qi'an said slowly: "It's very simple, frame the blame!"

Then he shook his head: "No, it's to divert our attention and gain time to escape from the capital."

Lu Qing nodded slightly: "Yes, let us think that the gunpowder came from the Ministry of Works, that a spy was planted within the imperial court, and the focus of the investigation turned to the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Rites, and the Minister of Dali Temple."

Eunuch Liu frowned. He found that he could not understand the conversation between the two people.

Except for the high-ranking Minister of Criminal Affairs and Chen Fuyin, who remained calm, the others looked at each other, and they also did not understand what Xu Qian and Lu Qing were talking about.

I always feel like I've missed one episode.

Xu Qian shook his head: "In this case, there is a doubt that cannot be solved. How did they transport the gunpowder to Sangbo?"

Lu Qing said: "It's very simple. The nine missing officials should have been bribed or encountered coercion. I prefer the former."

It makes sense. If the demon clan could smuggle gunpowder into Sangbo, there must be an accomplice. Without the help of the imperial court, they would not be able to do it.

Let’s not talk about the two or five young people in the imperial court. Why did the demon clan want to blow up Sang Bo?

To be precise, they are plotting to find the sealed object under Sangbo. What use does this sealed object have for them?

He was thinking when he heard Lu Qing say: "We seem to have gone astray, because I noticed a detail just now..."

The heroic female catcher stared at Xu Qi'an: "Nine missing people, three palace servants, three from the Ministry of Rites, three from the Dali Temple... How did they hide the gunpowder from their colleagues and smuggled in the gunpowder?"

?”

Xu Qi'an was not very clear about the process of the ancestor worship ceremony. He had not yet had time to ask the officials and errands responsible for the closing, but after hearing Lu Qing's words, his heart moved: "You mean, just three people can't hide the secret from their colleagues."

Those who transport gunpowder. Yes, why deliberately separate these nine people? If these nine people are all from the Ministry of Rites, from Dali Temple or as servants in the palace, it might still be possible."

Lu Qing smiled sincerely, and it turned out to be quite bright.

What she admires most about Xu Qian is that he is smart and can immediately understand what she means. He is not tired from discussing with him, but can actually smile knowingly.

Xu Qian said: "So, there must be someone else among the people helping them, and this person must have the ability to enter and exit the imperial city freely, or be able to send gunpowder into the imperial city..."

Having said this, Xu Qian and Lu Qing looked at each other again, and they remembered a case.

The case of Jinwuwei Xiaoqiguan.

This case occurred the day before the ancestor worship ceremony, and they also took over it personally.

The little flag officer of the Jinwu Guard was silenced... Before he was silenced, he revealed to his wife that he would take his family out of the capital... Before he died, he happened to be on duty... Xu Qian suddenly understood and took the saltpeter

The cases of the mine and Xiaoqiu officer Liu Han are connected in series, and it is not difficult to come up with a truth.

The demon clan drove Huihu away in order to collect saltpeter mines in the Dahuang Mountains, make gunpowder to blow up the Shanhe Temple in Yongzhen, and release the sealed objects in Sangboli.

The reason why gunpowder is used is because the palace is heavily guarded and cannot be broken into by force, but gunpowder can be used, and it only needs to be transported in without anyone noticing.

Whether it is the supervisor of Si Tianjian, the female national preceptor of the Renzong, or the high-quality warriors in the imperial army, they can detect the intrusion of strong men, but they cannot detect dead things like gunpowder.

Liu Han was just a small flag officer and not that capable. He put gunpowder into the imperial city without telling his superiors.

He was a businessman, and the person who gave the orders was his superior, and it was this superior who killed him to silence him.

Ma De, the demon clan behaves like an old sow wearing a bra, doing one thing after another.

The brothel was full - everything was in order.

As long as Liu Han's superiors and Jinwu Guards are arrested and tortured, everything will be known!

Xu Qian quickly targeted a suspicious person: Zhou Baihu!

Xu Qian stood up and cleared his throat: "Eunuch Liu, gentlemen, I have something to do at the Ministry of Works, so please leave first."

His expression was as usual and his tone was relaxed: "The watchman is coming with me."

Evacuate people quickly.

The officials present were not fools. Although Xu Qi'an behaved normally, the several changes in his expressions when he was talking to Lu Qing, as well as the content of their conversation, although they were half-understood, did not prevent them from inferring that Xu Qi'an had discovered important clues.

Everyone immediately looked at Lu Qing.

Lu Qing pretended to be stupid.

Eunuch Liu tapped the case on the table with his finger and urged: "Have Xu Qian discovered anything? Is there any progress in the case? Tell me quickly!"

Lu Qingxin said, I have done my best. After all, although I admire Xu Qi'an very much, we don't have a special relationship, and we are not fiancés or anything like that.

It's very loyal to help him delay for a while.
Chapter completed!