Chapter 112: Locking up suspects

Hearing Eunuch Liu’s words, the officials of the Ministry of Justice thought that the other party was making things difficult for the little gong surnamed Xu, held a gloating attitude, and decided that as long as Xu Qi’an said something where it was wrong, they would immediately lash out and fall on his face.

Readers are actually pretty good at fighting, just not in force.

The officials and constables of the government office held a wait-and-see attitude, not caring what clues this reckless gong could give. However, they unexpectedly found that the government magistrate was not wandering, slightly stopped his waist, and actually took a serious listening posture.

Lu Qing whispered, “Forgotten? Xu Qi’an, ah, the Xu Qi’an of the tax and silver case.”

Upon her reminder, the people at the government office came to their senses and remembered the name Xu Qi’an.

No wonder the name sounded familiar just now, it turned out to be the small fast worker who saved the day and solved the mystery of the fake silver in the tax silver case.

Well, it’s a gong for the night watchman now.

No wonder His Majesty appointed him as the organizing officer of the night watchman’s yamen ….. It was only at this point that the officials of the government offices really came back to their senses.

“There are indeed some gains!” Xu Qi’an nodded.

He hadn’t wanted to say anything because the Ministry of Justice and the Prefectural Office were both rivals, so there was no reason to share the clues with these dogs.

But just now, noticing the little eunuch taking notes and the unconcerned exchanges between the people at the Ministry of Justice and the government offices, Xu Qi’an suddenly realized that this might be an opportunity to perform.

Show it to that Emperor’s Majesty.

Unsurprisingly, this transcript was to be handed over to the emperor for his purpose, imagine, after Emperor Yuan Jing read the transcript, he found that the Ministry of Justice and the government offices were actively discussing and giving clues to solve the case, favoring the silence of the night watchman’s office.

What will he think?

It’s a bit of a loss to have shared the information, but the credit is already on paper.

“In response to Sheriff Lu’s speculations, I’ll raise a few questions.” Xu Qi’an waited for the crowd to look over and said methodically:

“I went to Sangpo this morning to check it out, and the amount of gunpowder needed to try to blow up the entire Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple and blow up the high platform is extremely large.”

“Yes, what’s the problem?” Lu Qing had also gone to Sang Po to survey the scene.

“Here comes the problem, you also said just now that gunpowder is a strategic material that the imperial court attaches great importance to, and all kinds of secrecy and anti-theft measures are very strict and complete. Smuggling out this gunpowder is very difficult in itself, let alone erasing the corresponding traces?” Xu Qi’an said:

“What kind of person do you think could do that?”

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment, “The Minister of Works, or the two ministers.”

The crowd was taken aback, and even the little eunuch who was recording with his head down paused.

Xu Qi’an nodded, “If it’s the Minister of Public Works and the two ministers, then everything makes sense, and with their sleight of hand and ability, it’s not impossible to buy off the palace pawns or the officials of the Da Lisi and the Ministry of Rites. Just, isn’t this too stupid?”

Lu Qing frowned, “You mean…”

Xu Qi’an said, “Smuggling gunpowder on such a scale, even if one’s hands and feet were made clean, they wouldn’t be able to withstand investigation. I believe that those who can become Shangshu and Squire aren’t so stupid.”

Lu Qing nodded, “Since it’s not them, where else but the Ministry of Public Works can provide so much gunpowder?”

Xu Qi’an said, “Is it possible that it was transported in from outside the city?”

Lu Qing shook his head: ”Outer city aside, the inner city is subject to an entry tax, and the soldiers guarding the city will inspect the goods. The Imperial City is even more impossible. Gunpowder is so conspicuous, how can it be smuggled? Unless what is being transported in is raw materials, not gunpowder ….”

Lu Qing and Xu Qi An reasoned as if no one else was there, completely without any other people interrupting, Eunuch Liu was not in a hurry and listened patiently.

The little eunuch who was responsible for making the transcript, carried his pen like a fly, writing faster and faster.

What was shipped in was not gunpowder, but raw materials. Of the raw materials for gunpowder, sulfur and charcoal were not precious things, especially in winter, when the capital consumed a terrible amount of charcoal …. But saltpeter is something that is strictly controlled by the Dabong ….. Xu Qi An, who was thinking, had a lightning strike in his mind.

“Saltpeter mine!?” His eyes widened as he stared at Lu Qing.

The female constable’s clear face, froze, then understood and exclaimed, “Nitrate mine!!!”

The two men’s faces were covered in shock, and on the other side, Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao exchanged glances, both of their faces changing slightly.

The four of them had personally surveyed the Rhubarb Mountains, where they had discovered saltpeter mines.

Lu Qing calmed his shock, various thoughts flashed through his mind, and new doubts surged up, “If they really did it, then what happened to the nine missing people?”

Xu Qi’an slowly said, “It’s very simple, plant the evidence!”

Then he shook his head, “No, it’s a distraction to compete for time to escape the capital.”

Lu Qing nodded slightly, “Yes, let us think that the gunpowder came from the Ministry of Industry, thinking that spies were planted within the court, and the center of gravity of the investigation shifted to the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Ceremonies and the Secretary of the Da Lisi.”

Eunuch Liu frowned as he realized that he was beginning to not understand the conversation between these two.

Aside from the high-ranking Minister of Justice and Minister Chen, who did not move, the others looked at each other in dismay, similarly unable to understand what Xu Qi’an and Lu Qing were saying.

Always wondered if I was missing an episode.

Xu Qi’an shook his head, “In that case, there’s a mystery that can’t be solved, how did they transport the gunpowder to Sangpo?”

Lu Qing said, “It’s very simple, those nine missing mandarins should have been bribed or encountered coercion. I favor the former.”

It makes sense. If the demons can smuggle gunpowder into Sangpo, there must be accomplices. They couldn’t have done it without the court’s inside help.

Let’s not talk about the two-fifths in the court, why did the Demons blow up Sangpo.

To be precise, they plot the seal underneath the Sampo, and what use is this seal to them?

As he was thinking about it, he heard Lu Qing say again, “It seems like we’re thinking out of the box, because just now I noticed a detail…”

The gallant female constable stared at Xu Qi’an, “Nine missing persons, three palace officials, three from the Ministry of Rites, and three from the Da Lisi …. How did they conceal the gunpowder from their peers and smuggle it in?”

Xu Qi’an was not too clear about the process of the Ancestral Ceremony, and had not yet had the time to ask those officials and officials responsible for wrapping things up, but after hearing Lu Qing’s words, his heart stirred, “You’re telling me that with just three people, it’s impossible to smuggle gunpowder without their peers’ knowledge. Yes, why deliberately separate these nine people, if these nine people are all from the Ministry of Ceremonies, the Da Lisi, or the palace pawns, it might still be possible.”

Lu Qing gave a heartfelt smile that was actually quite bright.

She appreciated this most about Xu Qi’an, being smart and able to immediately grasp her meaning. She wasn’t tired of discussing with him, but instead could smile.

Xu Qi’an said, “Therefore, there must be someone else among those who helped them, and this person must have the ability to freely enter and exit the Imperial City, or, alternatively, be able to send gunpowder into the Imperial City ….”

Speaking of this, Xu Qi’an once again looked at each other with Lu Qing as they remembered a case.

The case of the small flag officer of the Golden Guards.

This case took place the day before the Ancestor’s Ceremony, and again they took it on personally.

The small flag officer of the Jinguwei was silenced ….. Before he was silenced, he revealed to his wife that he was going to take the family out of the capital …. Before he died, he happened to be on duty …… Xu Qian was enlightened, and it was not difficult to come up with a truth by linking the cases of the saltpeter mine and the small flag officer Liu Han.

The Demon Clan drove out the Grey Household in order to collect the saltpeter mines in the Da Huang Mountains, make gunpowder to blow up the Yong Zhen Shan He Temple, and release the seals in the Sang Po.

The reason why gunpowder was used was because the palace was heavily guarded and could not be broken into, but gunpowder could be, it just needed to be transported in unnoticed.

Regardless of whether it was the Supervisor of the Heavenly Superintendent, the woman State Master of the Human Sect, or the high-grade martial artists in the Forbidden Army, they were able to detect the invasion of powerful people, but they were unable to detect a dead thing like gunpowder.

Liu Han was only a small flag officer, not so capable of hiding gunpowder from his superiors and putting it into the Imperial City.

He was an errand boy, and the point man was his superior, the same superior who killed him to silence him.

MAD, the Demon Race acted like an old sow wearing a bra, one set after another.

The brothel was full of customers – well organized.

Just arrest and torture Liu Han’s superior, Jinguwei Baedu, and we’ll know everything!

Xu Qi’an quickly locks onto a suspicious character: Zhou Baido!

Xu Qi’an got up and cleared his throat, “Eunuch Liu, Lords, I still have some business over at the Ministry of Public Works, so I’ll excuse myself first.”

He looked as normal, his tone relaxed, “The night watchman is coming with me.”

Quickly lead the evacuation.

The officials present were not fools, despite Xu Qi’an’s normal behavior, the change in his expression several times while he was talking to Lu Qing, as well as the content of their conversation, although they listened to it in a half-understood manner, it didn’t prevent them from surmising that Xu Qi’an had already discovered an important clue.

The crowd immediately looked at Lu Qing.

Lu Qing played dumb.

Eunuch Liu tapped his finger on the table and urged, “Has Xu Qi’an discovered something, has there been progress in the case, speak quickly!”

Lu Qing said in her heart, “I’ve also done my best in terms of benevolence. After all, although he admired Xu Qi’an, we didn’t have any special relationship, it’s not like he was a fiancé or anything.

It’s already very righteous to help him stall for a while.

PS: That’s six or seven hours.