When the officials of the Criminal Department heard Liu Gonggong's words, they thought that the other party was embarrassing the little gong surnamed Xu, and had a gloating attitude, and decided that as long as Xu Qi'an said something wrong, he would immediately attack him and lose face.

Scholars are actually very good at fighting, but not by force.

The officials and catchers of the government held a wait-and-see attitude, not caring what clues this reckless gong could give. But they were surprised to find that Lord Fu Yin was not in a fugue, and stopped his waist slightly, and actually put on a posture of listening carefully.

Lu Qing said in a low voice: "Have you forgotten? Xu Qi'an, Xu Qi'an of the tax and silver case." ”

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

No wonder I felt familiar when I heard the name just now, it turned out to be the little fast hand who turned the tide in the tax and silver case and solved the mystery of fake silver.

Well, now it's time to play the gong.

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

"There are indeed some gains!" Xu Qi'an nodded.

He didn't want to say it, because the Criminal Department and the government are both competitors, and there is no reason to share the clues with this group of dogs.

But just now he noticed that the little eunuch took notes, and the exchange between the criminal department and the government without any worries, Xu Qi'an suddenly realized that this might be an opportunity to perform.

Show it to His Majesty the Emperor.

Not surprisingly, this transcript is to be handed over to the emperor for a purpose, just imagine, after reading the transcript, Emperor Yuan Jing found that the criminal department and the government were actively discussing, giving clues, and working hard to solve the case.

What would he think?

Although it is a bit of a loss to share the information, the credit is already on paper.

"In response to Lu Zhutou's speculation, I have a few questions. Xu Qi'an and the others looked at it, and said in an orderly manner:

"I went to Sangbo this morning to check, and if I want to blow up the entire Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple and blow up the high platform, the amount of gunpowder required is extremely huge. ”

"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, and all kinds of secrecy and anti-theft measures are very strict and complete. It is very difficult to smuggle out these gunpowders, let alone erase the corresponding traces?" Xu Qi'an said:

"What kind of person do you think can do that?"

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment: "The Ministry of Works, or two waiters." ”

Everyone was taken aback, and even the little eunuch who bowed his head to record paused.

Xu Qi'an nodded: "If it is the Ministry of Industry Shangshu and the two waiters, then everything is reasonable, with their skills and ability, it is not impossible to buy off the palace errand or Dali Temple and the officials of the Ministry of Rites." Just, isn't that stupid?"

Lu Qing frowned: "You mean..."

Xu Qi'an said: "Smuggling gunpowder of this scale, even if the hands and feet are clean, they can't withstand inspection." I believe that those who can be Shangshu and squires will not be so stupid. ”

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

Xu Qi'an said: "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 is required to collect a tax for entering the city, and the soldiers guarding the city will inspect the goods." The Imperial City is even more impossible. How can something as conspicuous as gunpowder be smuggled in? unless it is raw materials that are brought in, not gunpowder..."

Lu Qing and Xu Qi'an reasoned as if no one was around, and there was no interference from others at all, and Gonggong Liu was not in a hurry, and listened patiently.

The little eunuch who was in charge of making the notes carried the pen like flying, and the more he wrote, the faster he wrote.

It is not gunpowder that is transported, but raw materials, and among the raw materials of gunpowder, sulfur and charcoal are not precious things, especially in winter, the amount of charcoal consumed in the capital is very terrible.... But saltpeter is something that is strictly regulated by Daebong..... Xu Qi'an, who was thinking, was struck by lightning in his mind.

"Saltpeter Mine!?" he stared at Lu Qing with wide eyes.

The delicate face of the female catcher was stunned, and then she understood, and exclaimed: "Saltpeter Mine!!"

The faces of the two were full of shock, and on the other side, Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao glanced at each other, and their faces changed slightly.

The four of them personally surveyed the Great Yellow Mountain, where they discovered saltpeter mines.

Lu Qing calmed down his shocked emotions, and various thoughts flashed in his heart, and new doubts sprung up: "If it was really them, what happened to the nine missing people?"

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

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

Lu Qing bowed slightly: "Yes, let's think that the gunpowder came from the Ministry of Industry, and thought that there were spies planted within the imperial court, so the focus of the investigation turned to the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Rites, and the Dali Temple." ”

Gonggong Liu frowned, and he found that he was starting to understand the conversation between the two.

Except for Shangshu and Chen Fuyin, who were in high positions, the others looked at each other, and they also couldn't understand what Xu Qi'an and Lu Qing were saying.

I always feel like I've missed an episode.

Xu Qi'an 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 coerced. I'm more of the former. ”

It makes sense that if the demon clan can smuggle gunpowder into Sangbo, there must be accomplices. They would not have been able to do so without the response of the imperial court.

Let's not talk about the two or five boys in the court, why did the demon clan blow up Sangbo.

To be precise, they are plotting against the seal under Samber, and what use is this seal for them?

He was thinking about it, and then he heard Lu Qing say: "We seem to be thinking wrong, because I noticed a detail just now..."

The heroic female catcher stared at Xu Qi'an: "Nine missing people, three palace errands, three from the Ministry of Rites, three from Dali Temple.... How did they smuggle gunpowder in without telling their colleagues?"

Xu Qi'an was not very clear about the process of the ancestor worship ceremony, and he didn't have time to ask the officials and errands who were responsible for the finishing, but after listening to Lu Qing's words, his heart moved: "You mean, with just three people, you can't smuggle gunpowder from your colleagues." Yes, why deliberately separate these nine people, if these nine people are all from the Ministry of Rites, Dali Temple or on errand in the palace, maybe there is still a possibility. ”

Lu Qing smiled heartily, it was quite bright.

She appreciates Xu Qi'an the most, she is smart and can immediately understand what she means. I am not tired of discussing with him, but I can smile heartily.

Xu Qi'an said: "Therefore, among the people who help them, there must be other people, 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..."

Speaking of this, Xu Qi'an glanced at Lu Qing again, and they remembered a case.

The case of the little flag officer of Jin Wuwei.

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

The little flag officer of Jin Wuwei was exterminated..... Before the extermination, 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 Qi'an suddenly opened up, and connected the case of the saltpeter mine and the small flag official Liu Han, and it was not difficult to come up with a truth.

The demon clan drove out the gray households in order to collect saltpeter mines in the Great Yellow Mountain, make gunpowder to blow up the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple, and release the seals of Sambori.

The reason why gunpowder is used is because the palace is heavily guarded and cannot be forced in, but gunpowder can, and it only needs to be transported in without knowing it.

Whether it is the supervisor of Si Tianjian, the female national teacher of the Renzong, or the high-grade martial artists in the forbidden army, they can detect the invasion of the strong, but they cannot detect the dead thing like gunpowder.

Liu Han was just a small flag officer, and he didn't have that much ability, so he put gunpowder into the imperial city without telling his superiors.

He was an errone, and the commander was his superior, and it was this superior who killed him.

Made, the demon clan acts, it's like an old sow wearing a bra, one set after another.

The brothel is full of customers - well organized.

As long as Liu Han's superiors, Jin Wuwei Baihu, are arrested and tortured, everything will be known!

Xu Qi'an quickly locked on a suspicious character: Zhou Baihu!

Xu Qi'an got up and cleared his throat: "Father-in-law Liu, my lords, there is still something to do in the lower engineering department, so I will retire first." ”

His expression was as usual, and his tone was relaxed: "The watchman will come with me." ”

Evacuate quickly.

The officials present were not stupid, although Xu Qi'an behaved normally, when he talked to Lu Qing, his expression changed several times, and the content of their conversation, although they didn't understand anything, it didn't prevent them from surmising that Xu Qi'an had found important clues.

Everyone immediately looked at Lu Qing.

Lu Qing pretended to be stupid.

Gonggong Liu knocked on the table with his fingers and urged: "Did Xu Qi'an find anything, is there progress in the case, say it quickly!"

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

It's already very righteous to help him delay time.

PS: That's six or seven hours.