At the Chang'an rice market wharf, more than twenty grain ships docked at the shore. Farmers were busy unloading the goods and carrying bags of rice into the warehouse on the shore.
On the shore, a middle-aged and wealthy man was smiling and chatting with others. He was Chen Yongdao, the owner of the Chenji Rice Shop next to him. After the cargo was unloaded, he was going to Jiangnan to buy rice.
"Dr. Chen, have you decided? When will you leave for Jiangnan?" the businessman chatting with him asked with a smile.
"Let's leave tomorrow! I heard that the price of rice in Jiangnan is good, I have to hurry up."
At this time, a waiter ran up and said: "Proprietor, please go to the store when you have time. Someone from Baoyuan Cabinet is looking for you!"
"What does the cabinet shop want from me?"
Chen Yongdao waved his hands impatiently and said, "I'm busy! I don't have time to pay attention to them."
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people came over. The leader was the chief shopkeeper of Baoyuan Cabinet Shop. He said with a smile: "Dr. Chen, you are busy!"
The person who came was actually the shopkeeper of the shop. Chen Yongdao couldn't ignore it. He quickly smiled and said: "The shopkeeper Wang is here. Please take a seat in the shop!"
Chen Yongdao invited a group of people back to the rice shop. They all sat down in the inner hall. Chen Yongdao ordered the waiters to serve tea. Shopkeeper Wang Da said: "I came today because I have something to trouble Boss Chen. Someone came to the counter to exchange banknotes in the morning. Waiter.
I found that the number of this banknote is the same as that of a banknote belonging to Boss Chen, but there is no transfer signature from Boss Chen behind it, so let’s confirm it.”
Chen Yongdao was stunned, "Which bank note?"
Shopkeeper Wang handed him a piece of paper with the banknote number on it. Chen Yongdao quickly took out the banknote from his arms and found the same banknote inside.
"It's really the same number!"
Chen Yongdao handed the banknote to shopkeeper Wang Da. Shopkeeper Wang looked at it carefully and found that it was issued by their bank and had not been transferred or used.
Shopkeeper Wang pondered for a moment and asked, "Has Boss Chen ever shown the banknote in his hand to anyone?"
Chen Yongdao concealed a trace of panic in his eyes and shook his head like a rattle, "The bank note has been in my arms since I exchanged it. I have never shown it to anyone, not even my wife."
"I understand, it should be just a coincidence!"
Shopkeeper Wang handed the banknote to Chen Yongdao and said, "Mr. Chen, please keep it. We won't disturb you anymore."
Chen Yongdao said with some worry: "Big shopkeeper, is there anything wrong with this banknote?"
Shopkeeper Wang laughed and said, "It's not a big deal. It was just a coincidence during printing. The two banknotes happened to have the same number. Boss Chen, feel free to use them!"
The group of people said goodbye and left. Chen Yongdao hesitated in the store for a long time, said hello to the waiter, and left in a hurry.
Chen Yongdao didn't know that someone was following him from a distance...
After dinner, Guo Song drank tea with his family in the living room on the second floor and chatted about Jiaozi. His family was a little late for two days and they also got the fifty-guan Jiaozi today. Guo Song specifically told them to spend it.
.
Xue Tao took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "I took everyone to the Lion and Tiger Park this afternoon. It cost a total of more than ten dollars. Some shops accepted it, but many shops did not. Especially the small vendors, who jumped up and down.
He was yelling, saying that we used pieces of paper to defraud him of his stuff, and clamoring to report him to the official!"
Guo Song chuckled and said: "Although today is the third day of issuing Jiaozi, most people have still not seen it. The stores that collect Jiaozi have been informed in advance, so they are willing to accept it. The vendors have not seen it.
, you must be anxious!”
Guo Weiwei said quickly: "Dad, I think you are not thinking carefully!"
"Xiaowei, tell me, why did we not think carefully?"
Guo Weiwei took off a small money bag from her waist and shook it, the copper coins inside jingled.
"Dad, did you see that our broken silver and copper coins are usually put in the money bag, but what about the jiaozi? We couldn't find a place to put it today, so we finally found a big leather bag and put a bunch of jiaozi in it.
Inside, I think the court should consider how to let everyone go."
Guo Song nodded, and his daughter did remind him that a wallet should be designed to hold Jiaozi. It's not that it can't be put in a wallet, but many people at the bottom will casually crush it into a ball and stuff it in their pockets, which will easily rot over time.
"I understand. Xiaowei's opinion is very good. I will convey it to the court."
Guo Song asked with a smile: "Do you think Jiaozi will be accepted by the people?"
"It might work!"
Dugu Youlan smiled and said: "Today, Min Qiu specifically asked a shopkeeper if he could accept the payment of the bill?"
"Oh? What did that person say?" Guo Song suddenly asked Min Qiudao with interest.
Min Qiu smiled and said: "The shopkeeper said, of course, you can go to the counter to exchange money anyway."
Liu Caichun hesitated and said: "Husband, I think the people at the bottom may be resistant. Even if they finally accept it, it will be many years later. Promoting Jiaozi will definitely be a long-term process."
Guo Song sighed softly, "You are right, the biggest difficulty is the people at the bottom. My eldest sister said the same thing the day before yesterday. This is the first time I don't know what to do, so I can only take one step at a time."
At this time, the housekeeper reported at the door: "Your Majesty, Commander Wang wants to see you!"
Guo Song nodded, "Ask the guards to take him to the Qilin Hall and wait for a while. I'll be right back!"
.........
Soon, Guo Song met Wang Yue at the Qilin Hall. Wang Yue had been investigating the case for three days, and Guo Song also wanted to know the progress of his investigation.
"The low-level soldiers are investigating the case in three ways. One is the rice dealer Chen Yongdao, the other is the counterfeiter who leaked secrets, and the third is the person who forged counterfeit banknotes. At present, in addition to the counterfeiter leaking, the first and third
There has been progress.”
"Why do you want to leak the secrets of the cabinet search shop?" Guo Song asked.
Wang Yue bowed and said: "Your Highness, we suspect that this is a large-scale leak. As Your Highness said, this fraud is not just a banknote. Since there are multiple banknotes, the people behind the scenes are likely to do it."
A list of banknote numbers is not difficult to obtain, almost every branch of the counter shop has it."
Guo Song asked with a smile: "Since every store has one, can the source of the leak be traced?"
Wang Yue shook his head, "We have almost no way to start. The other party took a copy and didn't even know where it was taken from? This road will not work."
"Since there is no way to go, give up decisively."
"We have decided this way too. Now everyone is focusing on the first and third items, and we have indeed achieved something!"
"Wait a minute!"
Guo Song interrupted him and asked strangely: "Aren't your first and second items contradictory? Since it is suspected of being leaked in large quantities, it should have nothing to do with Chen Yongdao, right?"
"Your Highness, there is actually no contradiction. Chen Yongdao was the first fake banknote, and then they got an inventory of the subsequent fake banknotes. There are both."
Guo Song nodded, "Go on! What did Chen Yongdao find?"
"Bizhi arranged for the big shopkeeper of Baoyuan Cabinet to go to Chen Yongdao yesterday. Chen Yongdao denied that he had ever lent his banknotes to others. But after shopkeeper Wang Da left, Chen Yongdao quietly went out. Bizhang sent someone to follow him and found that he had gone
He was supposed to be looking for someone in a tavern, but he didn't find him. It was obvious that he was very anxious. He set out to buy rice in Jiangnan today. He had already sent someone to follow him, and he would be secretly captured and interrogated halfway. There is no one yet.
information."
"Then let's talk about the third way!" Guo Song smiled and said.
Wang Yue perked up, took out a report, and presented it: "There is a breakthrough on the third road."
Guo Song took the report and turned it over, frowning and saying, "Who is Bian Laoliu?"
"Your Highness, we identified the banknote through a master forger. He believed that the banknote was painted by a master forger named Bian Laoliu. He was also good at gold thread embroidery and paper, and was also good at carving seals and engravings.
Printing, it can be said that Bian Laoliu is very proficient in all the skills required to make such banknotes."
"Can you make paper?" Guo Song asked with a smile.
"Paper is not, but we have also found the source of the paper. It is also produced by a papermaking workshop in Xuancheng County. It is called ancient Sophora paper and is sold in the capital. The quality of Ancient Sophora paper is very high, but it is still not as good as Changqing paper.
few."
"Have you found this Bian Laoliu?"
Wang Yue shook his head, "He has been missing for almost a month and his whereabouts are unknown!"
Guo Song pondered for a moment and said: "When Chen Yongdao is looking for someone, he's not looking for Bian Laoliu, right?"
"It's very possible that the tavern where Chen Yongdao found someone is the same place where Bian Laoliu often hangs out."
Guo Song took two steps behind his hands and asked again: "Then what are you going to do next?"
"I decided to mobilize the local snakes in Chang'an to look for Bian Laoliu. As soon as he appears, he will be discovered immediately."
"But this will scare the enemy away!"
"Your Highness, although you will alert the snake, the second, third and subsequent banknotes will not appear easily. This will not cause adverse effects among the merchants, which is also an advantage!"
Guo Song nodded, "That's right! Every disadvantage must have an advantage, I won't ask, just go ahead and do it!"