"Later, when His Majesty ascended the throne, he continued to use Lord Qin He as well."
"Until ten years ago, Mr. Qin He felt tired and felt that he had failed to trust His Majesty, so he took the initiative to retire and return to his hometown. His Majesty thought of the merits of hard work, so he agreed."
Shen Lian nodded slightly.
I have an impression of Qin He.
A former minister of the former dynasty, he was good at fighting on the battlefield, but not good at handling government affairs.
In the Ministry of Industry, you basically take care of things and provide for the elderly.
Shen Lian continued to ask, "My father-in-law said that Qin He took the initiative to retire and return to his hometown? Then when he resigned and returned to his hometown, did he mean that he was not old enough to return to his hometown?"
In ancient times, retiring from old age and returning home was the same as retirement in later generations.
They only do it when they reach a certain age.
Moreover, many officials, even at their age, are unwilling to move places for the sake of profit. They often need the emperor to hammer or remind them before they can obediently give up their positions.
Deshun nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Qin He retired and returned to his hometown about five years earlier than normal."
"Speaking of which, this servant is also very emotional. It is really rare for a person in a high position like Mr. Qin to retire and return to his hometown so happily, five years in advance."
"Your Majesty also thinks that Lord Qin He has performed very well, and he has also rewarded him with many things."
When Li Shimin ascended the throne, in order to appease officials, he continued to reuse Qin He, who was basically useless.
Later, when Qin He took the initiative to give way to the virtuous, Li Shimin was naturally happy.
After all, this is not a position he came to just to force people to leave.
It has nothing to do with his personal ethics.
Shen Lian asked: "Qin He was really in bad health when he left?"
Deshun thought for a while and said: "His face was indeed not very good at that time, but I don't know exactly what it was like."
Shen Lian nodded slightly.
Deshun was waiting beside Li Shimin, so naturally he couldn't pay too much attention to other people.
At this time, Shen Lian thought of something and suddenly asked, "I remember that the Temple of Heaven was rebuilt ten years ago."
"I want to know whether Qin He retires and returns to his hometown before or after this."
Deshun thought about it carefully and said: "It seems that it was later, it seems that just after the Temple of Heaven was repaired, he retired and returned to his hometown."
Brush it.
Deep in Shen Lian's eyes, a light flashed.
Han Qian discovered some problems with the Temple of Heaven.
Then he was replaced by fake Han Qian.
As a result, as soon as the Temple of Heaven was built, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, who had presided over the construction of the Temple of Heaven, retired and returned to his hometown five years in advance.
Is all this a coincidence?
Or...necessary!?
Qin He's resignation and seclusion, and Han Qian's renovation of the Temple of Heaven actually happened in the same year.
Moreover, just after the renovation of the Temple of Heaven was completed.
This made Shen Lian very concerned.
Shen Lian believed that if Han Qian wanted to repair the Temple of Heaven, he must seek advice from the previous official who was in charge of the construction of the Temple of Heaven.
In other words, if nothing unexpected happens, Qin He is also very likely to be involved in repairing the Temple of Heaven.
Even if you are not involved, you will definitely be given guidance and will definitely pay attention.
So, in this case, after the repair of the Temple of Heaven is completed, he will retire and return to his hometown.
Among them...
Shen Lian really had no choice but to think too much.
Shen Lian looked at Deshun and asked, "My father-in-law, do you know why Qin He died after he retired and returned to his hometown?"
Deshun just said that Qin He passed away three years after he returned to his hometown.
Considering Qin He's age and net worth, he shouldn't have died so soon.
Unless something unexpected happens.
Such as serious illness?
For example...killed!!
Deshun thought for a while and said, "He should have died of a serious illness."
"Master Qin He retired to his hometown as Minister of State. After his death, the local government reported to His Majesty in a memorial."
"After His Majesty learned about it, he even sent people to mourn."
"That's why I learned about Master Qin He's death."
Shen Lian nodded slightly.
In the Tang Dynasty, if people who were ministers or above normally retired and returned to their hometowns, they would be considered prominent figures when they returned to their hometowns. Both local officials and the imperial court would pay attention to them.
If he dies, the court will naturally need to express his gratitude.
After all, this can prove that Li Shimin still remembers these heroes who contributed to the Tang Dynasty.
However, for those below the rank of minister, at most the officials would understand and would not alarm Li Shimin.
After all, there were so many officials in the Tang Dynasty. If any one of them died, Li Shimin would have to express his gratitude. Then Li Shimin would not have to do anything else for a day.
Deshun said that Qin He died of illness.
Did he really die of illness or did he fake it?!
Shen Lian needs to confirm this.
After all, this is about whether Qin He knows some secrets.
"When Lu Shisan comes back, let him use the power of the shadow guard to investigate. Qin He's status is not low, and the shadow guard should have records."
Shen Lian gathered his thoughts and continued to look at the other eunuchs and guards.
After questioning one by one, these eunuchs and guards did not come up with any useful clues.
Those eunuchs were in charge of different tasks and didn't even know about the missing building materials.
Some of these guards guard the entire construction site to prevent anyone from sneaking into other areas of the palace.
There is also one who happens to be in charge of the warehouse.
So this guard confirmed Zhao Heng's words.
He said to Shen Lian, "For the record, Lord Shen, General Mo was responsible for guarding the warehouse at that time. We were guarding the warehouse in two shifts."
"At that time, the general was responsible for the night."
"There are a total of twelve of us, guarding the warehouse at the same time."
"While we were guarding the warehouse, we did not find any abnormalities in the warehouse. Even when workers come to retrieve building materials, they need to be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Industry. In addition, we will also record them to ensure that every building material is You can find the source."
"But that's it. In the end, those building materials disappeared. We all felt very strange and couldn't understand it."
After Shen Lian listened, he looked at Zhao Heng.
Zhao Heng said hurriedly: "He is right. To build the Temple of Heaven for His Majesty, we dare not make any mistakes or be careless at all. Any transfer of materials requires the cooperation of the Ministry of Works, us, and the guards." witness."
"Because of this, no one can enrich themselves or smuggle out building materials, so the disappearance of building materials is so strange."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Shen Lian squinted his eyes.
He would never believe in something strange that disappeared out of thin air.
It is impossible for so many building materials to be stolen secretly.
Therefore, if your prediction is correct, someone among the guards, the Ministry of Works, or the eunuchs must be lying!!
After all, if there are so many building materials, if you want to put them into operation, it is impossible not to alarm anyone, and it is impossible for no one to respond.
However, who is responding?!
And...where were those materials transported?!
What did you do again?!
This is the most important thing!!
It would take hundreds of people five days of building materials to build a grand hall.
Shen Lian felt as if he had a clear mind.
He knew that the so-called strange things must be someone deliberately lying.
This leads to this seemingly impossible thing.
Just like the murder case that happened in Han Mansion.
In fact, it was a very simple case.
It's because everyone in the Han family is lying.
The direction of the case was completely misled, and an impossible crime occurred.
As for the case that happened more than ten years ago, Shen Lian believed that this must be the case.
All three parties said there was no problem.
Then there must be something wrong!!
But now I'm not sure who has the problem.
Shen Lian's brain was running wildly, but on the surface, he didn't show anything.
He nodded slightly: "Okay, I know. Next, I will give you some pen and paper. You can write down everything you know. I will check them one by one in a while."
As he said that, he looked at Deshun, who was very sensible, and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Shen, I'll leave this matter to my servant."
"Thank you, father-in-law."
Shen Lian turned around and looked at Fatty Zhang who was inspecting the Temple of Heaven.
Fatty Zhang inspected it very carefully, stopping from time to time to tap it with a small hammer, and then carefully identify whether there was any mechanism.
Shen Lian did not disturb Fatty Zhang, thought for a while, and walked towards the main hall behind the Temple of Heaven.
Upon seeing this, Deshun asked someone to prepare pen and paper, and then quickly accompanied him.
He said: "Master Shen, the main hall behind the Temple of Heaven has a main hall and two side halls. The main hall contains the tablets of the royal ancestors."
"The side store on the left is a quiet room. Sometimes when His Majesty is upset, he will go to the quiet room to calm his mind."
"Sometimes the princes make mistakes, and His Majesty will ask them to come to the quiet room to reflect."
"The side hall on the right is equivalent to a warehouse, where some things used for sacrifices are stored."
"If His Majesty wants to use the Temple of Heaven, he can take it out immediately and arrange it."
Shen Lian nodded slightly and entered the main hall while listening.
Entering the hall, you can see the tablets in front of you.
There are a lot of tablets, and they are arranged in order according to the backup.
In front of the memorial tablet is a table.
There are incense burners and tributes on the table.
Shen Lian looked at it carefully and found nothing unusual.
Deshun said: "During every year and festival, His Majesty will come here to offer incense. This is also the Temple of Heaven, the place where His Majesty comes most often and is the most popular."
Shen Lian nodded slightly.
He was thinking that if he were a thief, even if he secretly arranged a trap, he would not be in the main hall.
After all, as the most commonly used place in the entire Temple of Heaven, if there is any mechanism, it will be the easiest to be discovered.
At the same time, it is also the most inconvenient.
I thought I was going to the left side hall.
Soon, we arrived at the quiet room.
The side hall on the left is smaller in area than the main hall.
This is designed as a quiet room facing the wall.
There are several futons on the ground.
The whole room was empty, with no extra furniture.
There is no decoration whatsoever.
Shen Lian looked around and found nothing obvious.
However, the quiet room is not used very often. If he wants to do something, this is a very suitable place for him to hide away from others.
"Let Fatty Zhang come and take a look later."
Shen Lian turned around and walked towards the side hall on the right.
As he walked, he asked: "Eunuch, you said that the side hall on the right is now a warehouse. May I ask, where was the warehouse when the new altar was built in the past?"
Deshun immediately understood what Shen Lian meant, and he quickly said: "Master Shen is right. The side hall on the right is the warehouse where we saw the Temple of Heaven before. The building materials transported here are all placed there."
"Precisely because it was a warehouse before, it has always been regarded as a warehouse later."
Shen Lian's eyes flashed.
"The warehouse from more than ten years ago..."
"I want to take a closer look at this. I want to see what secrets this warehouse has that can make so many building materials disappear."
Shen Lian walked towards the warehouse.
As he was walking, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
Then, Lu Shisan was seen walking quickly and said, "Master Shen, Yuan Tianshi has arrived."
Shen Lian's eyes flashed and he stopped to look back.
Then he saw a Taoist priest wearing Taoist robes standing behind Lu Shisan, who had a certain air of immortality.
This man has a gray beard and holds a whisk in his hand.
The temperament is ethereal.
He really does look like a enlightened person.
Seeing Shen Lian looking at him, he bowed his head to Shen Lian and said, "I have met Mr. Shen."
Yuan Tiangang is a famous Taoist in history.
Therefore, Shen Lian was quite polite. He cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Celestial Master doesn't need to be polite. I invited the Celestial Master here today. Isn't it causing any worries to the Celestial Master?!"
Although Yuan Tiangang was a Taoist, he was also a serious official in the Tang Dynasty. However, his official position was not too high, and his main duties overlapped with those of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so he was not considered an official with real power.
Moreover, Yuan Tiangang is considered to be a master of Taoism, full of immortal spirit and Taoism. Therefore, in order to respect him, he is generally called Tianshi instead of an official title.
Yuan Tiangang stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Everyone in the world calls Master Qin the most intelligent person in the world. In fact, I have wanted to meet Master Shen for a long time. I am lucky enough to meet Master Shen today. I am not here in vain. Naturally. There is no such thing as causing any disturbance.”
Shen Lian nodded slightly: "I am about to go to the side hall to have a look. Master Tian, please come with us."
Yuan Tiangang would not object.
As Shen Lian walked, he turned to Lu Shisan and asked, "Did you encounter any accidents on the way?"
Lu Shisan shook his head, "Everything went well, Yuan Tianshi was very cooperative."
Shen Lian nodded slightly.
He whispered: "Go and help me investigate something. Find out why Qin He retired and returned to his hometown five years early, whether there is any secret in it, and what exactly caused his death."
"At the same time, go to the Ministry of Works, find Du Shangshu, and ask him if there are still people who built or repaired the Temple of Heaven in the Ministry of Works. If so, ask him to bring them to me."
Lu Shisan nodded directly without any hesitation: "I understand."
After saying that, Lu Shisan left quickly.
Shen Lian looked at Lu Shisan's hurried figure and suddenly felt that there were fewer people brought today.
You should bring a few more people with you to prevent Lu Shisan from getting too tired.
But the palace is different from other places. It is a very sensitive place, and it is not easy to bring too many other people. Because Lu Shisan used to be a shadow guard, he is familiar with many people in the palace, so it is easy to get in and out.
If it were anyone else, they might not be able to get things done.
So after thinking about it, he thought that after this matter was over, he should reward Lu Shisan well.
We can't let Lu Shisanbai do the work.
Yuan Tiangang and Deshun saw Lu Shisan leaving in a hurry. Neither of them said anything, as if they were not interested in Lu Shisan's departure at all.